Reigning UFC heavyweight titleholder Tom Aspinall has blasted the stoppage in Rico Verhoeven’s fight with Oleksandr Usyk.
This past weekend, Verhoeven shocked the world by dismantling boxing’s pound-for-pound king, Usyk, for most of the 11 rounds during their heavyweight boxing match near the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.
The Dutchman looked sharp and did not gas out till the end, and fans were convinced that GLORY’s longest-reigning heavyweight champion would get his hand raised and become the new WBC heavyweight champion in just his second pro boxing bout.
However, in Round 11, Oleksandr Usyk dropped Rico Verhoeven with a massive shot. The 37-year-old managed to beat the count, but once the action resumed, the champion went all out for the finish by unloading a barrage of heavy punches.
Although “King of Kickboxing” was still on his feet, the referee stepped in and waved off the contest, handing Usyk a TKO victory.
After the loss, Verhoeven has confirmed on his socials that he has lodged an appeal and feels the stoppage to be unfair.
Tom Aspinall is furious after watching the Oleksandr Usyk vs. Rico Verhoeven stoppage
Some believe the bout was stopped after the 11th round, while others believe that since Rico Verhoeven won the majority of the rounds, the referee should have given him a chance to box in the final round instead of stopping the bout prematurely.
Even Tom Aspinall is not happy with how the bout was stopped. In a recent video, while watching the bout and blasting the stoppage, the Brit said:
“They don’t even let him make it to the end of the round. It’s a fu*king robbery. What the f**k is that? Boxing doesn’t want anyone else to win, simple as that. They want boxers with the amateur style coming in, winning an Olympic medal, and then switching over and being unbeaten pros. They don’t like other combat sports. It’s bullsh*t.”
Check out Tom Aspinall’s comments below:
Even Turki Al-Sheikh feels the same way as Tom Aspinall.
Check his reaction below:
