On May 23, at the Pyramids of Giza, Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven headlines a Ring Magazine fight card, live on DAZN Pay-Per-View. The main event will take place in the heavyweight division.
We’ll bring you all the results from the Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven main fight card. The first fight is scheduled to begin at approximately 18:00 GMT/13:00 ET.
All results from the Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven main card on May 23
Richard Torrez Jr vs Frank Sanchez
It was the heavyweights up next, with Richard Torrez Jr (14-1, 12 KOs) facing Frank Sanchez (26-1, 19 KOs) in an IBF heavyweight eliminator.
It was a strong opening three minutes from Torrez Jr, who showcased fast hand speed and quick feet, enabling him to avoid the right uppercut from Sanchez. The second round continued in the same vein until Sanchez landed a monster right uppercut, knocking Torrez Jr out. What a punch, and what a win for The Cuban Flash, catapulting himself back into the heavyweight picture.
Mizuki Hiruta vs Mai Soliman
Next up on the undercard was Mizuki Hiruta (11-0, 2 KOs) vs Mai Soliman (10-2, 6 KOs) for Hiruta’s WBO super flyweight and The Ring Magazine titles.
It was an intriguing opening round, where Soliman had success, but the sharper work came from Hiruta. Soliman continued to try to impose herself on the champion, but Hiruta’s variation helped her take the opening two rounds.
Soliman had moments with the right hand, but the single-punch success was met with three and four-punch combinations from Hiruta, whose hand speed and slick footwork were a joy to watch. Over the next few rounds, Soliman continued to try to close the distance, but the Japanese fighter was too sharp and punished everything Soliman threw.
Soliman had her best moment of the fight in round eight, landing a right hand, which buzzed Hiruta, who recovered well to see out the remainder of the round. Hiruta’s class shone through during the final two rounds, as she picked her punches well and stayed away from Soliman’s right hand. The judge’s scorecards read 99-91, and 98-92 x2, all in favour of Hiruta, who remains the WBO super flyweight and Ring Magazine champion.
Daniel Lapin vs Benjamin Mendes Tani
The first fight on the Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven undercard saw Daniel Lapin (13-1, 5 KOs) face Benjamin Mendes Tani (10-1, 3 KOs) for the IBF inter-continental and WBO international light heavyweight titles.
It was a quiet opening round, with Lapin looking the sharper, while Tani tried to close the distance to no avail. Tani enjoyed more success in the second round, applying plenty of pressure and finding a regular home for the right hand. The front-foot tactics from Tani continued, with Lapin under pressure, struggling to keep the Frenchman off him.
Tani continued his tactics in the fourth and showed impressive accuracy, landing a left uppercut to score the first knockdown. The second knockdown was a beautifully timed body shot from Tani. It looked like Lapin was out of ideas, and the Frenchman landed a straight right to score a third knockdown, forcing the referee to wave the fight off. A great fourth-round TKO career-changing win for Tani!