The heavyweight king thanked God and kissed the cross hanging from his neck steps away from the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.

Usyk evidently understood that he dodged a bullet by scoring a come-from-behind win in the 11th round, saving himself from a monumental upset against a kickboxer who was boxing for the second time.

Usyk looked average for long stretches of the fight and shockingly allowed the novice boxer to bank many rounds before referee Mark Lyson ensured the judges wouldn’t be needed when he controversially stepped in to wave off the action at the 2:59 mark of the round.

“It was a hard fight,” Usyk told Boxing King Media. “Rico was a good fighter and well prepared. Everything is OK. We got the win, and will continue working and training.”

At the time of the stoppage, Usyk was down 96-94 on one card, while the other two judges had it 95-95. The punch stats – 113 landed for Verhoeven, 112 for Usyk – further reflected the close nature of the contest.

Before the fight was ruled over, Usyk dropped Verhoeven with a vicious right uppercut that forced Verhoeven to fall face-first into the bottom ropes with 22 seconds remaining.

Verhoeven valiantly picked himself up only to see Usyk dial up the pressure with a flurry of punches, prompting Lyson to move in and end matters immediately after the bell had already sounded while the Dutchman protected himself on his feet.

“I do not think about this. A lot of people said the stoppage was early. Listen, it's not my job. My job is boxing,” said Usyk.

We’ll never know what could have been in the 12th, but, because of what presumably would've been a two-point round in the 11th, Verhoeven would have needed a knockdown of his own not to lose the fight on the cards.

Verhoeven revealed that he has filed a protest and intends to continue the next chapter of his fighting career as a boxer.

The conversation about Usyk (26-0, 15 KOs), meanwhile, immediately shifted toward a fight against Agit Kabayel in Germany.

Usyk, The Ring, IBF, WBA and WBC heavyweight champion, said he's not thinking about what's next, but he’ll be ready for whatever comes.

“I'm going to rest," he said, "and do homework.”

Manouk Akopyan is The Ring’s lead writer. Follow him on X and Instagram: @ManoukAkopyan.