Verhoeven says appeal against loss to Usyk dismissed

Rico Verhoeven says his appeal against the result of his defeat by unified heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk last month has been dismissed.

A commission agreed the fight was stopped after a bell for the end of the round sounded, but said this did not affect the outcome.

Verhoeven, 37, called for a rematch and an apology from officials after the heavyweight world title bout in Egypt on 23 May was controversially stopped in the 11th round.

Kickboxing legend Verhoeven, in just his second professional boxing fight, troubled 39-year-old Usyk for long spells, but a late surge by the Ukrainian great sent the Dutchman to the canvas.

Verhoeven beat the count, but a follow-up flurry in the closing stages of the round prompted the referee to step in and wave it off – a decision that looked extremely harsh on Verhoeven.

Posting on his Instagram, Verhoeven wrote that the appeal commission confirmed the bell ending round 11 had already sounded before the referee physically waved off the fight.

“The official timekeeper said exactly that,” he added. “The ringside doctor also confirmed that I showed no signs of confusion or disorientation after the bout.

“The commission’s view was that none of those findings changed the outcome.”

The scorecards at the time of the fight ending read 95-95, 95-95 and 96-94 to Verhoeven.

He said his formal protest, lodged by his team the following morning, was not to take anything away from Usyk, a two-weight undisputed champion, who he called “one of the greatest fighters of this generation”.

But he continued: “What stays with me is the feeling that, after 11 unforgettable rounds on one of the biggest and most epic stages in the world, the story simply stopped before it reached its ending.

“The fans were denied a 12th round. After everything we’d both put into that fight, they deserved to see how it ended.

“So for me, the conclusion is actually very simple. Let’s finish the story and give the fans that immediate rematch!

“The ruling answered the legal questions, but it left another question hanging in the air, one that has stayed with so many people since that night: how was this story supposed to end?”

Verhoeven signed off with: “I’ll be ready Oleksandr.”

Usyk remains undefeated in 25 professional fights.