It was natural for practically no one to give Rico Verhoeven a chance against Oleksandr Usyk. A lifelong kickboxer with only one professional boxing bout to his name – back in 2014 – should have been outclassed completely by one of the best heavyweight boxers of all-time.
Instead, Verhoeven was well on his way to pulling off a historic upset. Through the first nine rounds or so, Verhoeven was ahead on virtually everyone’s scorecards. Despite that, fans were already preparing themselves for a potential robbery to preserve the sport of boxing. What happened next was arguably worse.
Oleksandr Usyk’s stoppage win over Rico Verhoeven enrages boxing fans
Usyk started turning it on in the 10th round. In the 11th round, Usyk knocked down Verhoven once then put him on the ropes. The kickboxer looked to be saved by the bell as the round came to a close. Instead, the referee called a stoppage despite Verhoeven standing up and the bell having rung.
Fans were completely outraged by the referee’s decision. Verhoeven was certainly in trouble, but he had every right to get a breather ahead of the final round and try to finish it out. That would have led to a decision, which he could have squeaked out.
- “I LOVE USYK but that was one of the most rigged stoppages I’ve ever seen. Great fight ruined by that ref !!!“
- “Absolute joke, Rico was up on the scorecards going into Round 12 and got robbed of the opportunity to see it through.”
- “Everything is fake, everything is corrupt, everything is a scam. Wake up.”
Usyk very well could have gotten a stoppage in Round 12, but fans didn’t get the chance to know if it would have happened or not. Usyk now gets to keep his heavyweight world titles, but it didn’t come without controversy. Up next could potentially be a fight against Agit Kabayel, who was in attendance.
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