Appeal against Rico Verhoeven’s controversial loss to Usyk has been rejected, Yankee Scores reports.
While the panel agreed that the fight was ended with the ringing of the bell at the conclusion of Round 11, they insisted that this didn’t change the result of the fight.
This comes in the wake of Verhoeven, aged 37, demanding a rematch and an apology from the officials for controversially ending his world title clash with Usyk in the Egyptian capital last month.
Rico Verhoeven has called for an immediate rematch, after his appeal against his defeat by Oleksandr Usyk has been rejected by the Middle Eastern Boxing Commission 👀 pic.twitter.com/RVim5wEb8A
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) June 17, 2026
The kickboxing champion, making only his second-ever pro boxing fight, gave a good account of himself against his opponent for long periods, but he was floored in the latter part of the 11th round by the legendary Ukrainian, per BBC.
He recovered to survive the count and was still standing, but a barrage of punches forced the referee to call time off before the end of the round—a decision many saw as a harsh one for Verhoeven.
Verhoeven Gutted By Decision
On his Instagram account, Verhoeven said that the appeal commission had agreed that the bell at the end of Round 11 had already rung before the referee whistled to stop the fight.
“The official timekeeper said exactly that,” he added. “The ringside doctor also confirmed that I showed no signs of confusion or disorientation after the bout.
“The commission’s view was that none of those findings changed the outcome.”
The final scorecards were 95-95, 95-95, and 96-94 for Verhoeven.
He said that he did not make a protest because his formal protest, made by his camp the following morning, was not designed to bring Usyk down, who is a two-division undisputed champion and considered “one of the best fighters in this generation.”
But he further elaborated, “What stays with me is the feeling that, after 11 unforgettable rounds on one of the biggest and most epic stages in the world, the story simply stopped before it reached its ending.
Usyk remains undefeated in 25 professional fights.
