Usyk stops kickboxer Verhoeven in 11th round of heavyweight title fight in Egypt

GIZA, Egypt (AP) — Heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk survived a scare to earn an 11th-round stoppage against Rico Verhoeven, a Dutch kickboxer who pushed the undefeated Ukrainian to his limits on Saturday.

In a chaotic ending, the 39-year-old Usyk dropped the challenger late in the penultimate round, and referee Mark Lyson waved it off at 2:59 after Usyk pounced when Verhoeven beat the count shortly before the bell.

“I thought it was an early stoppage but in the end it's not up to me,” Verhoeven said moments later while still in the ring with the Pyramids of Giza in the background.

Usyk (25-0, 16 KOs) holds the WBC, WBA and IBF belts. For the 37-year-old Verhoeven, it was just his second time fighting as a boxer.

“Thank you so much, Rico, you are an amazing fighter," said Usyk, who dedicated the win to “Ukrainian people and Ukrainian soldiers."

The 6-foot-5 Verhoeven, whose only previous fight as a boxer was a victory in 2014, had some observers thinking back to Buster Douglas' stunning upset of Mike Tyson in 1990. The former kickboxing champion was able to slow Usyk with body shots and make him look sluggish at times.

“I thought we were pretty equal on the scorecards,” said Verhoeven, who was only eligible to win the WBC belt.

On the undercard, U.S. heavyweight Richard Torrez Jr. was knocked out by Cuba’s Frank Sanchez, who dropped the Californian with a crunching right to the face in the second round.

Torrez, who won a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics, tried to beat the count but stumbled back down to the canvas. It’s the first pro loss for the American after 14 victories. Sanchez (26-1, 19 KOs) put himself in line for an IBF title fight.

Britain’s Hamzah Sheeraz (23-0-1, 19 KOs) won the vacant WBO super middleweight title with a second-round knockout of Alem Begic, finishing the German with a body shot.

Mizuki Hiruta of Japan dominated Mai Soliman over 10 rounds to retain her WBO junior bantamweight title via unanimous decision.

AP boxing: https://apnews.com/boxing

Oleksandr Usyk, front, battles Rico Verhoeven, back, during a boxing match at the WBC World Heavyweight Championship "Glory in Giza" at the site of the Pyramids of Giza, Sunday, May 24, 2026, in Giza, Egypt. (AP Photo)

Oleksandr Usyk, left, fights during a boxing match against Rico Verhoeven, right, at the WBC World Heavyweight Championship "Glory in Giza" at the site of the Pyramids of Giza, Sunday, May 24, 2026, in Giza, Egypt. (AP Photo)

Oleksandr Usyk, right, battles Rico Verhoeven, left, during a boxing match at the WBC World Heavyweight Championship "Glory in Giza" at the site of the Pyramids of Giza, Sunday, May 24, 2026, in Giza, Egypt. (AP Photo)

Oleksandr Usyk, center right, celebrates after winning his boxing match against Rico Verhoeven during the WBC World Heavyweight Championship "Glory in Giza" at the site of the Pyramids of Giza, Sunday, May 24, 2026, in Giza, Egypt. (AP Photo)

Oleksandr Usyk, center, greets his fans after winning his boxing match against Rico Verhoeven during the WBC World Heavyweight Championship "Glory in Giza" at the site of the Pyramids of Giza, Sunday, May 24, 2026, in Giza, Egypt. (AP Photo)

Japan's Mizuki Hiruta, right, battles Egyptian-born Australian boxer Mai Soliman in a WBO junior bantamweight title boxing match at the site of the Pyramids of Giza, Saturday, May 23, 2026, in Giza, Egypt. (AP Photo)

FILE -Boxers Oleksandr Usyk, left, and Rico Verhoeven face off during a press conference to announce their upcoming WBC World Heavyweight Championship boxing match, in London, April 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Nikolaj Ehlers got loose up the center of the ice and popped the puck past Jakub Dobes at 3:29 of overtime to lift the Carolina Hurricanes past the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 on Saturday night to level the Eastern Conference Final at one game apiece.

Ehlers scored twice for the Eastern Conference's top seed, the first with a highlight-reel individual effort in the second period against two Montreal defenders.

And when the game went to OT, the guy the Hurricanes landed as a sought-after free agent carried them to the finish line.

Eric Robinson also scored for Carolina, while Josh Anderson scored twice for Montreal.

The series shifts to Canada for Monday's Game 3.

AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Carolina Hurricanes celebrate a goal by Eric Robinson during the first period in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, May 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)

Montreal Canadiens celebrate a goal against the Carolina Hurricanes during the first period in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, May 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)

Carolina Hurricanes' Taylor Hall (71) controls the puck with Montreal Canadiens' Jayden Struble (47) nearby during the first period in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, May 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)

Carolina Hurricanes' Sebastian Aho (20) controls the puck against the Montreal Canadiens during the first period in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, May 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)