Oleksandr Usyk defended his WBC heavyweight title but only after surviving an almighty scare with an 11th-round stoppage of kickboxer Rico Verhoeven in Giza.
Verhoeven came within touching distance of staging one of boxing's greatest upsets in just his second professional bout, bullying and overpowering an off‑colour Usyk.
The unbeaten unified heavyweight champion trailed on the scorecards heading into the penultimate round but landed a crisp right uppercut to transform the complexion of the contest.
It sent the towering Verhoeven to the canvas for the first time before a barrage of punches from Usyk saw the referee controversially wave it off at 2:59 seconds of round 11.
Usyk, 39, was not moving freely and was caught several times as the pace slowed into the middle rounds.
He came under pressure on the ropes as Verhoeven threatened the upset, catching Usyk with a strong right hand in the eighth before the Ukrainian responded with a left late in the round.
Verhoeven again forced Usyk back onto the ropes in the ninth round and kept up the pressure in the 10th, but Usyk survived and delivered the decisive blows late in the 11th round.