Rico Verhoeven plans to appeal his Round 11 TKO loss to Oleksandr Usyk after claiming the referee stopped the fight after the bell at the Giza Plateau in Egypt.
Verhoeven had already pushed Usyk much harder than expected in their Glory in Giza boxing fight. The longtime GLORY heavyweight champion entered as a huge underdog in only his second professional boxing bout, after a fight week where Verhoeven weighed 258.7 and Usyk hit a career-high 233.3. Usyk came in as one of the best heavyweights of this era and a former undisputed champion at cruiserweight and heavyweight.
Usyk changed the fight late. He dropped Verhoeven in Round 11, then attacked again after Verhoeven beat the count. The referee waved it off with one round remaining, and Verhoeven immediately protested.
“I just saw the end because of all the comments I was reading, and they stopped the fight after the bell,” Verhoeven told Boxing News. “So the bell went, and then they stopped the fight. So, yeah, I think we might just go and appeal it because this doesn’t make any sense, right? Like if the bell goes, and then stop the fight – why, you know? Then it’s my time to rest.”
Verhoeven said the knockdown count itself was fair. His issue is what happened after it.
“I got the eight count. It was a good eight count. It was needed, but I felt like because I hear the click, so I’m like, we got like ten seconds. So let’s just keep on the move, hands up, and catch the shots. I feel like that’s what I was doing.”
Verhoeven Wants No Contest Or Scorecards After Usyk Stoppage
Verhoeven said he was alert when the referee stepped in and expected to reach the corner. He argued the stoppage should either be overturned to a no contest or sent to the judges.
“So for me, that’s why right away when the referee came in, I wasn’t dazzled or whatever. I was looking at the referee and like, ‘Why are you stopping? We’re almost there.’ So, it didn’t make any sense to me. Now, looking back at it, even the bell went. That’s something he should be aware of. Yeah, of course mistakes can be made, but then, you know, looking back at it, the referee should admit his mistake. … It’s either a no contest, or we go to the scorecards. I think if we go to the scorecards, I was ahead.”
The scorecards make the appeal more complicated. The broadcast’s unofficial card had Verhoeven ahead, but the official judges reportedly had it much tighter. Two judges had the fight even entering Round 11, while the third had Verhoeven up by one. Since Usyk scored a knockdown in the 11th, a 10-8 round could still leave Usyk winning by majority decision if the result went to the cards.
Verhoeven later wrote on Instagram that “history was made” and thanked Jason Statham, Turki Alalshikh, Usyk, and his team for the opportunity.
Here is Verhoeven’s post after the fight:
🚨 Rico Verhoeven suggests he will appeal the outcome of his fight with Oleksandr Usyk after watching it back. pic.twitter.com/f2FTpUTcCv
— BoxingMagnet (@BoxingMagnet) May 24, 2026
Verhoeven had warned before the fight that Usyk had only faced boxers, and the performance backed up his confidence. The official result still belongs to Usyk, but Verhoeven left Egypt with a real complaint and a stronger boxing reputation than he had when the week started.
