Rico Verhoeven issues first statement after controversial Oleksandr Usyk loss, disputed referee stoppage

Rico Verhoeven wants his shot at redemption against boxing’s pound-for-pound king.

Verhoeven, a kickboxing legend and former GLORY Kickboxing heavyweight champion, called for a rematch against Oleksandr Usyk in his first remarks Saturday following the chaotic end to the pair’s WBC heavyweight title clash. Fighting amid a backdrop of Egypt’s Pyramids of Giza, Verhoeven nearly pulled off one of the biggest upsets in boxing history, matching Usyk punch-for-punch and winning on many observers’ scorecards before referee Mark Lyson controversially stopped the contest late in the 11th round.

Verhoeven’s full statement:

Leave emotions out of it. Read the cards. One second left heading into the 12th and final round. Onwards and upwards! Respect to [Usyk], it was an honor to share the ring with you. Let’s run it back! [Turki Alalshikh]

Verhoeven was more than a +1500 underdog on some sportsbooks entering Saturday’s title contest, and it makes sense why. Despite his war chest of kickboxing accolades, the 37-year-old Dutchman was just 1-0 as a professional boxer, whereas Usyk strolled into Egypt as a two-division undisputed champion, Olympic gold medalist and the No. 1-ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the entire sport.

Yet not only did Verhoeven (1-1, 1 KO) surprise with his performance, he legitimately shocked the sporting world by outboxing Usyk (25-0, 16 KOs) from the opening bell.

Verhoeven’s surreal assault on history crashed into a brick wall, however, when Usyk rallied late into the contest. The Ukranian knocked Verhoeven down in closing seconds of the 11th round, and though Verhoeven rose to his feet, referee Lyson stunningly stopped the bout at the round’s conclusion, awarding Usyk the Hail Mary victory under a cloud of controversy.

Usyk was expected to defend his WBC, WBA and IBF heavyweight titles against WBC interim champion Agit Kabayel next, however Saturday’s result — and the stunning way in which it occurred — leaves the immediate future for the 39-year-old suddenly in question.