Alexander Usyk's victory over Rico Verhoeven in Egypt received an unexpected continuation. The Dutch kickboxer officially filed a protest against the outcome of the championship fight following the controversial stoppage of the bout in the 11th round. This is reported by TSN.
Why Verhoeven contested the result of the fight with Usyk
Rico Verhoeven's team believes that the referee prematurely stopped the fight after a knockdown in the 11th round.
The Dutchman himself stated that he was ready to continue the bout and had a chance to finish the fight in the final round.
After the fight, several well-known boxers and coaches supported Verhoeven's position.
In particular, Derek Chisora called the referee's decision a 'robbery', while Tony Bellew and Francis Ngannou stated that Rico deserved a chance to finish the bout.
How the boxing world reacted to the scandal after the fight
Some experts are convinced that Rico Verhoeven was ahead on points before the fight was stopped.
Jake Paul and Sergio Mora also claimed that the result raised serious questions about the referee's performance.
Meanwhile, other representatives of the boxing world supported Usyk's victory.
Saul Alvarez stated that the referee effectively saved the Dutchman from a heavy knockout, while trainer Teddy Atlas suggested that the Ukrainian would have ended the fight early in the 12th round anyway.
It is worth noting that Alexander Usyk defeated Rico Verhoeven by technical knockout and defended the WBA, WBC, and IBF championship belts in the heavyweight division.