Rico Verhoeven Appeals Controversial TKO Loss to Oleksandr Usyk, Claims Early Stoppage
Rico Verhoeven is actively pursuing an official appeal to overturn his controversial 11th-round TKO loss to unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk. The GLORY kickboxing legend, fighting in just his second professional boxing match, shocked the world by pushing Usyk to the brink during their fight at the Pyramids of Giza. Verhoeven now claims referee Mark Lyson halted the contest after the bell, setting the stage for a major legal dispute within the sport.
The drama exploded late in the championship rounds when Usyk finally broke through Verhoeven's resistance with a crushing uppercut. The punch dropped Verhoeven to the canvas with mere seconds remaining in the 11th round.
Though the "King of Kickboxing" immediately rose and signaled his readiness to continue, Usyk pounced with a final flurry, prompting Lyson to step in and wave off the action with just one second left on the clock (via DAZN on X):
ABSOLUTE CHAOS USYK STOPS RICO!!!#UsykRicopic.twitter.com/3OHnaXPUv5
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) May 24, 2026
In the immediate aftermath, a stunned Verhoeven expressed his frustration to DAZN, believing he deserved to walk out for the final round:
"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 or let me go in the 12th. I felt we were pretty even on the scorecards."
The official scorecards immediately validated Verhoeven's belief that he was on the verge of a historic upset (via Ring Magazine on X):
The Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven scorecards prior to the stoppage
— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) May 23, 2026
Glory in Giza on DAZN pic.twitter.com/4KJ2i72gwx
One judge had Verhoeven leading 96-94 through ten completed rounds. The other two judges scored the fight 95-95, meaning Verhoeven may have had a chance to win the fight if he had surprised Usyk in the final round.
Rico Verhoeven Appeals
Verhoeven and his team are now officially pushing for the result to be amended based on the technical infraction regarding timekeeping (via Rico Verhoeven's Instagram story):
Immediately after the fight, Verhoeven expressed his interest in filing for an appeal (via Boxing News on YouTube):
"So the bell went, and then they stopped the fight," Verhoeven explained.
Verhoeven expanded on the technical grounds for the appeal, questioning the timing of the referee's decision to call it off.
"I just saw the end because of all the comments I was reading, and they stopped the fight after the bell," he stated. "So yeah, I think we might just go and appeal it because this doesn't make any sense."
A video of the finish posted by Turki Alalshikh on X seems to match his claim, as the bell can be heard well before the referee steps in:
Another angle of the Usyk vs Rico stoppage
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) May 23, 2026
The stoppage came after the bell #UsykRicopic.twitter.com/N4AhcsTlEm
Additionally, the kickboxing icon argued that he was fully aware and defending himself intelligently rather than being defenseless.
"I got the count out. It was a good count... I feel like that was what I was doing. Hands up and catch the shots," he noted, insisting he was looking directly at the referee and mentally prepared to survive the final seconds to regroup in his corner.
Given that he was ahead on one card and tied on the other two, a successful appeal could theoretically see him declared the winner by technical decision.
Future Rematch?
Much of the boxing world criticized the referee's timing, with high-profile figures like Jake Paul, Francis Ngannou, Claressa Shields, Shakur Stevenson, and Ryan Garcia expressing disbelief.
Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, instantly called for a rematch, suggesting it could take place in Verhoeven's home country of the Netherlands (via Ring Magazine's Mike Coppinger):
.@Turki_alalshikh tells me: "It was a bad stoppage, Rico deserved to continue to fight. It's clear that Usyk was controlling in the end, but the referee should have allowed the fight to reach clear result. It is the call of Usyk now what he does next. Kabayel has waited a long… pic.twitter.com/XD2c78d4Xv
— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) May 24, 2026
The commercial appeal of a second fight skyrocketed after Verhoeven's unexpected dominance.
However, the WBC has Usyk's next fight a mandatory defense against interim champion Agit Kabayel. Queensberry promoter Frank Warren made it clear that this should be Usyk's next step:
Agit is the interim WBC champion and next in line. Usyk now either has to fight him or vacate, it's as simple as that.
— Frank Warren (@FrankWarren) May 24, 2026
Queensberry are more than ready to make the fight.
Mark Robinson pic.twitter.com/losNkhsMVH
Should the official appeal fail, Verhoeven plans to continue his crossover journey, feeling reborn as a competitor at age 37. The performance has arguably made Verhoeven the most dangerous spoiler in a heavyweight landscape desperately seeking new stars.
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This story was originally published May 24, 2026 at 10:09 PM.