Controversy as Oleksandr Usyk stops Rico Verhoeven after the bell

Rico Verhoeven was ahead on the scorecards before Oleksandr Usyk KO

'The King of Kickboxing' Rico Verhoeven almost defeated three-time undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk in a boxing ring at Pyramids of Giza in May 23.

Two scorecards had the unlikely pairing at 95-95 and the other had Rico up 96-94.

The longest-reigning GLORY heavyweight champion was able to catch undefeated Usyk many times throughout the WBC World title fight, exceeding expectations.

In the penultimate 11th round, Verhoeven was wading forward with his head down facing the floor, trying to throw right hooks without looking, running on empty, until Usyk was able to pick out an accurate right uppercut to drop the 258lbs Dutchman.

The kickboxer got back to his feet, after an extended rest due to his mouthguard falling out, only to be cornered by the unified world champion and peppered with around a dozen fast, rangy shots forcing referee Mark Lyson to step in. Controversy immediately followed when the bell rung one second before the stoppage.

Trained by Peter Fury, Verhoeven’s corner was outraged at the shock decision, which stopped the Dutchman pulling off a monumental upset, just one more round away from a win.

Rico Verhoeven suggested he would appeal the loss after seeing it was stopped after the bell, the Netherlands man said, "They stopped the fight after the bell. I think we might just go and appeal it because this doesn't make any sense. When the referee came in, I wasn't dazzled or whatever. I was looking at the referee like 'why are you stopping, we're almost there'. It didn't make any sense to me. That's something he should be aware of. Of course mistakes can be made, but the referee should admit his mistake. Look back at it and say it's either a No Contest, or we go to the scorecards. And if we go to the scorecards, I was ahead."

Speaking in the post-fight interview, Agit Kabayal’s manager Spencer Brown hinted that Usyk will likely have one more fight before announcing his retirement from boxing, and he said it must come against the unbeaten German who holds the WBC Interim title. In response, the Ukrainian said ‘I’m ready’.

The Ukrainian's performance has been described as lethargic, underwhelming, frustrating, unmotivated and even horrendous. Carl Froch commented that "Usyk looked so bad, like he was struggling." More reactions below.

Reactions to Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven

@davidcoldwell: "Usyk v Rico. Another controversial ending."

@Combat_Casuals: "Rico Verhoeven just had his win over Oleksandr Usyk STOLEN by the ref Dominating Usyk as a 1-0 boxer and they stop the fight AFTER THE BELL"

@BoxingBritain1: "Disgusting stoppage by the referee! What an embarrassing night for boxing. A kick-boxer, Rico Verhoeven, nearly beat the undisputed heavyweight champion, Aleksandr Usyk. Would’ve been the biggest upset ever in boxing. Should’ve had a chance!"

@IfnBoxing: "Jake Paul thinks it’s embarrassing that Oleksandr Usyk feels he won his fight against Rico Verhoeven"

@ShChildBoxing: "With the benefit of a slow motion rewatch, we can get an idea why the referee stopped the fight. Rico had just been dropped hard and was still hurt after around 20 seconds. Then Usyk hit him with 9 or 10 straight power shots before the bell. The last few very clean."