TLDR
- Rico Verhoeven plans to formally appeal his 11th-round stoppage loss to Oleksandr Usyk from their May 23 fight in Cairo, Egypt
- Verhoeven claims the referee stopped the fight after the round-ending bell had already sounded
- One judge had Verhoeven ahead entering Round 11, while two other judges scored it even at 95-95
- The kickboxing champion believes the result should be changed to a no contest or decided by scorecards
- Usyk may face mandatory WBC title defense against Agit Kabayel instead of an immediate rematch
Sources: sports.yahoo.com | mmafighting.com | thesun.co.uk
Kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven plans to formally appeal his controversial 11th-round stoppage loss to heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk following their fight Saturday in Cairo, Egypt. The Dutch fighter claims the referee stopped the bout after the round-ending bell had already sounded.
The fight took place at the Pyramids Panorama 2 venue in front of the Pyramids of Giza on May 23, 2026. Usyk trapped Verhoeven along the ropes and unleashed a flurry of punches late in Round 11, prompting the referee to wave off the fight.
Verhoeven expressed his frustration with the stoppage immediately after the bout ended. “Yeah, of course I thought it was an early stoppage, but in the end, it’s not up to me,” he said inside the ring. “I believe that the referee knows that we’re almost at the end of the round.”
Rico Verhoeven just had his win over Oleksandr Usyk STOLEN by the ref‼️
Dominating Usyk as a 1-0 boxer and they stop the fight AFTER THE BELL⁉️#UsykRico pic.twitter.com/eWN5lHRgON
— Combat Casuals (@Combat_Casuals) May 23, 2026
Kickboxer Reviews Footage and Decides to Appeal
After reviewing video of the finish, Verhoeven told Boxing News he intends to challenge the result. “I just saw the end of the fight because of all the comments I was reading, and they stopped the fight after the bell,” Verhoeven said.
“So the bell went, and then they stopped the fight,” he continued. “I think we might just go and appeal it because this doesn’t make any sense. If the bell goes and then stops the fight, then why? It’s my time to rest.”
Verhoeven acknowledged that the standing eight-count earlier in the sequence was justified. “I got the eight-count. It was a good eight-count. It was needed,” he said.
However, the kickboxing star insisted he was defending himself properly when the referee intervened. “I heard the clapper, so I was like, ‘We got ten seconds, keep on the move, hands up and catch the shots.’ And I feel like that’s what I was doing,” Verhoeven explained.
“That’s why, when the referee came in, I wasn’t dazzled or whatever,” he said. “I was looking at the referee like, ‘Why did you stop it? We’re almost there.'”
Verhoeven Was Ahead on One Judge’s Scorecard
The timing of the stoppage carries extra weight because of the judges’ scores entering the final rounds. One official scorecard had Verhoeven ahead when Round 11 began, while the other two judges scored the fight even at 95-95.
“The referee needs to admit his mistake,” Verhoeven said. “It’s either a no contest or we go to the scorecards — and if we do that, I was ahead.”
Despite the controversial ending, Verhoeven expressed pride in his performance against the unified champion. “We had an amazing game plan, and I think it works,” he told reporters. “I’m super proud, super happy with that.”
“He had both hands full, and he’s been the undisputed champion,” Verhoeven said. “I didn’t see any boxer do that to him until tonight.”
Overturning boxing results through formal appeals is historically very difficult, even when fans and fighters believe an error occurred. The appeals process typically requires clear evidence of rule violations or procedural mistakes.
Verhoeven posted a statement on social media after the fight showing respect to Usyk while requesting a rematch. The kickboxing champion called for the two fighters to run it back to settle the controversy.
However, an immediate rematch may not happen. Current reports suggest Usyk could move forward with a mandatory WBC title defense against unbeaten contender Agit Kabayel as his next fight.
