It wasn’t supposed to be possible, but somehow, it happened. Oleksandr Usyk and Rico Verhoeven collided beneath the Pyramids of Giza, and the fight shattered every prediction. A man with just one professional boxing match pushed an undefeated two-division undisputed champion to the brink.

The Dutch heavyweight came out aggressively and seized control early. Though he ran into trouble in the fourth and fifth rounds, the kickboxing superstar kept finding answers as the fight wore on. Everyone expected Usyk to flip the switch and take over, but that moment never truly arrived.

By the tenth round, ‘The Cat’ finally seemed ready to surge back into the fight, but the Dutchman weathered the storm and survived until the bell. Yet as the 11th round crept toward what looked like a stunning upset, the Ukrainian unleashed a vicious barrage that sent Rico Verhoeven crashing to the canvas.

When the Dutchman regained his feet, Oleksandr Usyk immediately launched another relentless assault, forcing referee Mark Lyson to jump in and wave the fight off. It was clearly a controversial stoppage with just five seconds left, one that will need a rematch, but its fate remains up in the air. But social media quickly lit up with opinions. 

Oleksandr Usyk was blamed for the controversial end to the fight

One user wasn’t happy about how things ended. “Wtf was that stoppage… Rico Verhoeven was winning against Oleksandr Usyk… that was one of the worst stoppages,” the user posted. While it’s true the Dutchman was winning, Usyk did score a knockdown. The referee even gave him extra time to recover. Had the fight gone another round, there’s a good chance Usyk would have won.

The next user blamed the corruption plaguing the sport of boxing. “I love Oleksandr Usyk, and he’s incredible to watch, but that was nonsense. Dreadful stoppage. Just let it go a little longer. There’s one round left, and it’s a heavyweight title fight. F—king boxing,” the user wrote. The worst part is that Usyk was about to win the fight. 

Another user placed the blame completely on Usyk. “F—K OLEKSANDR USYK, U WAS GETTING PUNCHED ALL IN UR FACE,” the user commented. However, if the fight’s stopped by the referee, it isn’t exactly his fault. 

Someone else felt Usyk should retire from the sport. “Oleksandr Usyk should RETIRE, he loses to Agit Kabayel, Moses Itauma, and David Benavidez,” the user wrote. He is 39 after all. 

The next user had an even harsher take. “Usyk should be EMBARRASSED!: the user commented. Only time will tell whether there will be a rematch.

That being said, this was perhaps the closest anyone has gotten to defeating Oleksandr Usyk. But at the end of the day, Verhoeven couldn’t get the job done. What did you think about the fight?