Rico Verhoeven questions late stoppage after Oleksandr Usyk’s victory in Egypt

Rico Verhoeven said he believed the referee stopped the fight too early after Oleksandr Usyk retained his heavyweight titles in Egypt, although the Dutchman praised the Ukrainian champion and welcomed talk of a rematch.

CAIRO, Egypt —
Rico Verhoeven said he believed the referee halted his heavyweight contest against Oleksandr Usyk too early after the Ukrainian stopped him in the 11th round of their crossover fight in Egypt. Verhoeven, speaking to DAZN after the bout, said he felt the fight remained competitive before the stoppage, which came late in the penultimate round following a series of punches from Usyk.

“I thought it was an early stoppage, but in the end it’s not up to me,” Verhoeven said. “I wanted the referee to let me go out on my shield.” The Dutch kickboxing champion added that he believed the contest was close on the scorecards before the intervention. “I felt we were pretty even on the scorecards,” he said.

The stoppage prompted debate among some viewers and commentators online, although no official complaint was raised after the fight. Usyk retained his heavyweight titles with the victory. Despite his disappointment, Verhoeven praised Usyk and welcomed suggestions of a possible rematch.

“His excellency told me he wants a rematch, but it’s not up to me. Let’s see what happens,” he said. Verhoeven also expressed gratitude for the opportunity to compete in one of boxing’s highest-profile crossover events.

“I am super proud of my performance, and hopefully the boxing world embraces me as a boxer,” he said. The contest, staged near the Pyramids of Giza and broadcast globally by DAZN, drew significant international attention because of Verhoeven’s status as one of kickboxing’s most successful heavyweight champions. Analysts described the fight as one of the toughest recent tests faced by Usyk, who was forced to absorb sustained pressure before securing the late stoppage victory.

Related posts:

Usyk vs Verhoeven: Oleksandr Usyk defends heavyweight titles against Rico Verhoeven in DAZN crossover fight PSG Hold Off Bayern Fightback in Nine-Goal Champions League Semi-final Thriller Everton fan arrested over alleged racist abuse of Antoine Semenyo Harry Kane backs PSG as slight favourites in Arsenal Champions League final Tottenham’s Mohammed Kudus ruled out of 2026 World Cup with injury