Rico Verhoeven challenged Oleksandr Usyk for the WBC heavyweight title in Giza, Egypt. Verhoeven took an early lead and appeared to be on course for a major upset. Usyk dropped Verhoeven in the final seconds of the 11th round, then continued attacking with unanswered shots. The referee stopped the fight with one second remaining in the 11th round, awarding Usyk the stoppage win. Tom Aspinall criticized the stoppage as unfair and claimed officiating favored Usyk. Aspinall said boxing does not want other combat sports to succeed and that the winner was decided before the opening bell. Francis Ngannou also supported Verhoeven.
"They don't even let him make it to the end of the round. It's a robbery. What the f-k was that? F-ing boxing don't want anyone else to win. They want the boxers with the amateur style coming in, winning the Olympic medal, and then switching over and beating unbeaten pros. That's what they want. They don't like other combat sports... Why did you give him a chance?... What is the point in doing all that Egypt stuff, all these massive events, if you're going to choose the winner before they even step in there?"
"Aspinall believes the officiating was biased towards Usyk, as they did not want a kickboxer, to win the WBC title. The UFC heavyweight champion believes boxing doesn't like other combat sports, and the world of pugilism is closed to outsiders. According to Aspinall, the winner of the fight was decided before the opening bell."
"Verhoeven shocked the world by taking the lead in the early rounds and appeared to be on his way to one of the greatest upset wins in boxing history. However, Usyk dropped Verhoeven in the final seconds of the 11th round. While Verhoeven returned to his feet, Usyk chased him with a barrage of unanswered shots. Referee Mark Lyson stopped the fight with a second left in the 11th round, declaring it a stoppage win for Usyk."
Read at Sherdog
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