In front of the crowd at the base of Egypt’s Pyramids of Giza on Saturday, Rico Verhoeven outboxed Oleksandr Usyk for the better part of ten rounds and was heading toward the most shocking heavyweight upset since Buster Douglas knocked out Mike Tyson.
Then, with just one second left in Round 11, referee Mark Lyson did the unthinkable, leaving Verhoeven in complete shock. Not only the boxing community, but the entire combat sports world erupted with claims of a disgraceful robbery.
Francis Ngannou, Jake Paul, Tony Bellew and More Weigh in on the Controversial Oleksandr Usyk Stoppage
Verhoeven entered the heavyweight boxing match as a massive -2500 underdog but surprised everyone by outworking the undefeated Oleksandr Usyk. Verhoeven used his 25-pound weight advantage to lean on and tire out the unified champion.
According to the official scorecards from Ariel Helwani, two judges had the fight tied after 10 rounds and the third had Rico winning. But in the 11th, everything got out of control when Usyk landed a right uppercut on Verhoeven.
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The combat sports community didn’t hold back at all. Francis Ngannou, who knows exactly what it’s like to be on the wrong end of a messy decision after his 2023 fight with Tyson Fury, posted a sparring photo with Verhoeven and wrote, “Outsiders will never win, trust me I know, but Rico was the winner tonight. Period.”
Outsiders will never win, trust me I know, but Rico was the winner tonight. Period. pic.twitter.com/4QojrxYX2X
— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) May 23, 2026
YouTuber-turned-boxing star Jake Paul, whose Most Valuable Promotions just saw massive success with its “MVP MMA 1” debut on Netflix, was also blunt on X.
“I mean that’s the most insane s– I’ve ever seen,” Paul posted. “Rico winning every round and the moment the paid off ref sees to end it he ends it — are you kidding. I’m the biggest Usyk fan but bro you lost that s—. Shoutout to Rico for beating his a– every round and getting jipped.”
Calling the fight live on DAZN, former cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew was clear about the stoppage. “It’s the only time in his whole career I’ve seen Usyk outworked,” Bellew said, per ESPN.
He added, “I do want to see him come out for that 12th round without a shadow of a doubt, and he should have been allowed that. In no way, shape, or form should that have been stopped.”
Shakur Stevenson took a different view on X, penning, “Usyk turned it on when he needed. The ref helped for sure but who’s to say Usyk wasn’t gone get him out of there he had plenty time. Bad night in the office. Don’t look like he was in tip top shape to me.”
Anthony Joshua, who was ringside, agreed tthat he ending was abrupt. When reporters asked if the fight was stopped too early, Joshua replied, “Yeah, definitely.” However, he didn’t call it a robbery, noting that Usyk might have finished the fight in the final round anyway.
Verhoeven himself took the loss surprisingly well. He basically said that even though he felt it was an early stoppage and knew the cards were close, it wasn’t his call to make. He just wished the ref had let him hear the bell so he could go out on his shield in the 12th.
With a possible rematch call making rounds online, there is a high chance that the combat sports world isn’t letting this one go quietly.
