Boxing: Usyk narrowly defends his heavyweight title with a last-minute TKO in the 11th round; kickboxing legend Frohven almost dethrones the champion.

On Saturday evening local time in Egypt, Ukrainian heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk won a dramatic and controversial fight, technically knocking out kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven with just one second remaining in the 11th round, successfully defending his WBA, WBC, and IBF heavyweight titles.

Ukrainian heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk (left) narrowly won in the final round.

At the foot of the magnificent Great Pyramids of Giza, Frohven initially dealt a heavy blow to the Ukrainian champion, seemingly holding the lead, but was subsequently knocked to the ground and ultimately ruled the loser by the referee. In a post-fight interview, Frohven stated, "I think the referee stopped the fight too early, but the decision wasn't in my hands. I wish the referee had let me fight to the end, or at least let me finish the 12th round. I felt the scoreboard was actually very close." He also thanked the fighter for the opportunity and revealed that Usyk had extended an invitation for a rematch. Frohven added, "I am incredibly proud of my performance and hope the boxing world will accept me as a true boxer."

Despite having defeated former champions like Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, and Daniel Dubois throughout his career, Usyk faced his toughest heavyweight fight today against an opponent he'd only fought once before in 2014. Frohven is a legend in kickboxing, but few anticipated he could cause the great Usyk so much trouble under pure boxing rules.

After the match, Usyk said emotionally, "I now know that the people of Ukraine are sitting in air-raid shelters, including my daughter. She sent me a message from her shelter saying, 'Daddy, I love you, you will win.'" He then thanked Verhoeven: "Thank you so much, Rico, you are a fantastic fighter. And thank you to your team. My team, I love you all. My wife, I love you, you are my light and my pillar of strength. This was a tough match, but it was a good one."

Before the controversial stoppage decision, Verhoeven had proven himself to be no ordinary fighter, giving Usyk a considerable scare. His unpredictable, overwhelming aggression and powerful right punch plagued the sluggish Usyk for most of the fight. However, when a fatigued Verhoeven began to falter in the 11th round, Usyk delivered a stunning uppercut, knocking the Dutchman down. With only seconds remaining in the round, Verhoeven pounced on him, unleashing a barrage of heavy punches. While still standing, Verhoeven was swaying precariously, and the referee immediately called a stoppage. Given the extremely limited time remaining in the round, this decision sparked considerable controversy.