Even though unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk completed a dramatic rally to save his unbeaten record with a come-from-behind TKO of kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven in Round 11, it was a performance that created more questions than answers.
Usyk (25-0, 16 KOs), a two-division undisputed champion and future first-ballot Hall of Famer, looked anything but one of the pound-for-pound best in the game when he showed up heavy and presumably out of shape for his novelty title defense outdoors and in front of The Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.
Boxing pundits are left debating whether Usyk has firmly lost a step at age 39 or whether he simply looked past his 37-year-old opponent in Verhoeven (1-1), who owns GLORY kickboxing records for most wins and most heavyweight title defenses yet hadn't boxed professionally in 12 years. While Verhoeven, a native of the Netherlands, deserves credit for overachieving by outworking Usyk in a surprising performance, it was hard to ignore just how old the recognized heavyweight king looked.
Usyk looked so flat and lackadaisical that it fueled rumors as to whether he was hiding an injury as he was largely limited to singular counter shots until he rallied late to hurt Verhoeven in Round 10 and drop him the following round until a highly controversial stoppage by referee Mark Lyson saved Usyk at 2:59 of Round 11 (even though replays showed Lyson couldn't hear the bell and technically stopped the bout after the round concluded).
The ringside view of Oleksandr Usyk's victory over Rico Verhoeven in Giza 💥 pic.twitter.com/GvuM3YWdyH
— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) May 25, 2026
In many ways, Usyk's performance was similar to that of former champion and rival Tyson Fury, who showed up overweight for his 2023 non-title bout against former UFC heavyweight king Francis Ngannou and survived a knockdown to take a disputed 10-round split decision. But Fury is known for inconsistent performances between marquee fights in which he shows up far above his prime fighting weight while Usyk definitely isn't, which is part of what made the result so shocking.
Usyk, who holds a pair of 2024 title wins over Fury, was likely on his way to a victory anyway against a badly hurt Verhoeven, even with Lyson's questionable decision, whether that be by 12th-round stoppage or a decision. Two judges had it even and the third judge had it 96-94 for Verhoeven entering Round 11 but that was before Usyk scored a knockdown to create a 10-8 swing.
But until Usyk can make a quick comeback and restore his P4P dignity in his next fight, questions will linger as boxing pundits continue to debate whether this was merely unprofessional preparation for a fight that, in all likelihood, shouldn't have been commissioned as a title bout given Verhoeven's inexperience or whether Verhoeven exposed the fact that Usyk is aggressively declining following a long amateur career, a 25-fight pro career and six heavyweight title bouts against the likes of Fury, Daniel Dubois and Anthony Joshua.
Should Usyk decide to continue fighting, he has a choice to make immediately, according to Saudi Arabian adviser Turki Alalshikh: give Verhoeven an immediate rematch in his backyard of Holland or take on WBC mandatory challenger and interim titlehodler Agit Kabayel (27–0, 19 KOs).
Pound-for-Pound Rankings
1. Naoya Inoue
Undisputed junior featherweight champion (33-0, 27 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 1
The four-division champion followed up a huge 2025, where he became the first boxer to defend the "Ring" title four times, by scoring a career-defining victory over countryman Junto Nakatani in May. The fight, which drew a sellout crowd of 55,000 inside the Tokyo Dome, was the biggest boxing event in Japanese history. The 33-year-old Inoue, who claimed a unanimous decision, further cemented his status as an all-time great.
INOUE VS NAKATANI HIGHLIGHTS ⚔️ Highlights from Naoya Inoue's super fight victory over Junto Nakatani in Tokyo 🎌 pic.twitter.com/AvwsMLk7Z7
— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) May 2, 2026
2. Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez
Unified junior bantamweight champion (22-0, 15 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 3
The 26-year-old phenom from San Antonio continues to build his case for inclusion in the argument of best fighter in the world. Rodriguez showcased everything that makes him special in a July dismantling of unbeaten Phumelala Cafu to unify titles at 115 pounds. He returned in November to further unify belts when he stopped unbeaten Fernando "Puma" Martinez. A 2027 showdown with Inoue for P4P supremacy could be forthcoming.
3. David Benavidez
Light heavyweight/cruiserweight titleholder (32-0, 26 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 4
At 29, "The Mexican Monster" took a major step forward to boxing immortality when he moved up 25 pounds to cruiserweight and knocked out unified champion Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez. The victory made Benavidez the first boxer in history to win titles at 168, 175 and 200 pounds. Benavidez plans to also become the first boxer to simultaneously defend light heavyweight and cruiserweight titles moving forward.
If you don't believe in Monsters you will now. Watch @Benavidez300 STOP Zurdo Ramirez and make boxing history on Cinco de Mayo. #BenavidezZurdo pic.twitter.com/NOw3hyGUki
— Premier Boxing Champions (@premierboxing) May 3, 2026
4. Oleksandr Usyk
Unified heavyweight champion (25-0, 16 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 2
Usyk's professional run has been as decorated as it has been perfect. But the former two-time undisputed champ raised a ton of questions at age 39 when he narrowly escaped a monumental upset in May against kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven outside the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt. Usyk looked sluggish and undertrained as he rallied for a highly controversial 11th-round TKO win. Is this the beginning of the end for the two-division champion or just a bad night at the office?
5. Shakur Stevenson
WBO junior welterweight champion (25-0, 11 KOs) | Previous ranking: 5
After silencing two years of criticism by standing in the pocket to hand unbeaten William Zepeda his first loss last July, Stevenson finally shared the ring with a fellow top 10 pound-for-pound great in lineal 140-pound champion Teofimo Lopez Jr. in January. The result was one of the most lopsided performances against an elite fighter in modern history as the 28-year-old Stevenson won 11 rounds on all three scorecards in a masterful showing.
6. Dmitry Bivol
Unified light heavyweight champion (24-1, 12 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 6
Bivol followed up his majority decision win over Artur Beterbiev in their 2025 rematch by sitting out the next 15 months to recover from back surgery. In May, the 35-year-old will defend a pair of his 175-pound titles against mandatory challenger Michael Eifert in Russia. From there, Bivol could find himself on a collision course for an undisputed clash with titleholder David Benavidez.
7. Artur Beterbiev
Light heavyweight (21-1, 20 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 7
Four months after narrowly defeating Dmitry Bivol to become the first four-belt undisputed champion in 175-pound history, Beterbiev came up just short in their February 2025 rematch via majority decision. At 41, Beterbiev is still chasing big fights, whether that comes in the form of a Bivol trilogy or a showdown against titleholder David Benavidez.
8. Devin Haney
Welterweight titleholder (33-0, 1 NC, 15 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 8
For all of the criticism he absorbed over his last two fights, Haney reminded everyone of his P4P talent and ring IQ in November when he dropped and handled unbeaten WBO welterweight titleholder Brian Norman Jr. to become a three-division champion. Haney looked stronger and more sturdy at 147 pounds after years of difficult weight cuts. He enters the second half of 2026 in line for an eventual unification rematch with fellow titleholder Ryan Garcia.
9. Junto Nakatani
Junior featherweight (30-1, 23 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 9
A two-division titleholder, Nakatani moved up to 122 pounds and got acclimated before challenging countryman and P4P king Naoya Inoue in May. The historic clash, held in front of 55,000 at the Tokyo Dome, saw Nakatani surge in the second half before Inoue held on for a close decision. After the fight, Nakatani went to the hospital for a broken orbital bone.
10. Jaron Ennis
Junior middleweight (35-0, 31 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 10
The former unified welterweight champion made a spectacular debut at 154 pounds last October when he blew out Ulisma Lima in one round. The win set "Boots" up for a showdown with unbeaten and unified champion Xander Zayas in June at New York's Madison Square Garden. A victory could catapult the slick and sublime native of Philadelphia into further contention among the P4P best in the game.
Dropped out: None Honorable mention: Canelo Alvarez, Vergil Ortiz Jr., Jai Opetaia, Lamont Roach Jr., Emanuel Navarette
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