Rico Verhoeven Reacts to Being ROBBED vs Oleksandr Usyk, Wants Rematch; Reveals He's Filing Appeal

Overview

Rico Verhoeven appeared on Ariel Helwani’s show to discuss the controversy and appeal surrounding his boxing match versus Oleksandr Usyk. Verhoeven believes the fight involved an unfair stoppage and incorrect scoring.

Pre-fight Context and Expectations

• Public dismissal after the announcement: Verhoeven says the boxing world largely dismissed him after the bout was announced.
• Why he feels that dismissal was unfair: He points to his long undefeated kickboxing/Glory background and his extensive boxing training with Peter Fury.
• Opinion formed without full context: He argues people formed their views without understanding the full details of his transition into boxing.

Verhoeven’s Mindset Going In

• Confidence with nerves: He says he felt confident while also having his “usual” nerves.
• Motivation for the challenge: Verhoeven was motivated by the opportunity to fight—and outbox—one of the greatest boxers ever.
• What he believed during the fight: He claims he was winning by outworking and outboxing Usyk.

Early Fight Effectiveness

• Working the jab early: Verhoeven felt he was landing jabs successfully in the opening rounds.
• Surprise at the execution: He repeatedly wondered how it was going “better than expected.”
• Team confirmation: His corner advised him to keep executing the game plan.

Tactics and Fight Flow

• Usyk was hard to catch: Verhoeven describes Usyk as slippery and moving left/right.
• “Phases” approach: To manage pressure and scoring, they used repeated “phases” (first/second/third phase attacks).
• Scoring strategy: The goal was to land lighter punches while keeping pressure to accumulate points.

Round-to-Round Scoring and Open Scorecards

• Open scoring format: The bout used open scorecards after every four rounds.
• Expectation to be ahead: Verhoeven says he expected to be in front and believed the fight was close-to-dominating in his favor.
• Reaction to later scorecards: He felt it became “fishy” and disappointing because he believed he won more rounds than the officials awarded.

Cardio and Late Pace

• Slight slowdown, overall strong tempo: Verhoeven claims he slowed slightly late but maintained a strong pace for about 10–11 rounds.
• Corner belief: He says his team believed they were in control.

The Hardest Adjustment in the Kickboxing-to-Boxing Transition

• Overall difficulty: He calls the transition “hard,” largely due to correcting ingrained habits.
• Key mistake: Verhoeven identifies a major error—getting too square and being caught by an uppercut.
• Repetition of the same problem: He also says he repeated that mistake later in the fight.

The Stoppage Controversy (End of the Fight)

• Drop and immediate stoppage: Verhoeven discusses Usyk dropping him, then the referee stopping the fight immediately after Verhoeven believed the round was still effectively ongoing.
• Bell confusion: He says he heard confusion regarding the bell timing and insists the stoppage prevented the full final stretch of the 12th round.
• Alleged referee hearing issue: He also notes he was told/understood the referee allegedly didn’t hear the bell.

Belief About the Referee’s Actions

• Not certain of intent: Verhoeven says he can’t definitively judge whether the referee didn’t hear the bell or was defending himself.
• Call for review: He argues the situation should be reviewed and corrected if mistakes occurred.

Appeal Details

• Where he appealed: Verhoeven states he appealed to the Middle East Professional Boxing Commission.
• Waiting on outcome: He is currently waiting for their review results.
• What he wants most: Ultimately, he wants an apology acknowledging that the result should have been handled differently.

Rematch and Future Plans

• Strong push for a rematch: Verhoeven wants a rematch and believes it would draw more attention than the first fight.
• Stock rising: He says his “stock” has risen since the bout and that people now recognize what he can do.
• Free-agent status: He confirms he is a free agent for future fights (describing it as a one-fight deal).
• Next priority: Even with other opportunities discussed, he prioritizes the rematch first.

Other Combat Sports Talk

• Interest from major figures: Verhoeven reacts to interest involving Jake Paul and Francis Ngannou.
• Reviewing opportunities: He says he’s reviewing what’s possible but will focus on the rematch first.

Personal Moment and Background

• A meaningful tribute: Verhoeven describes recreating a photo of his late mother at the pyramids in Egypt.
• “Full circle” emotion: He calls it an emotional moment connected to his highs and lows before facing the world’s best.

Gloves and Approval

• Gloves used: He explains the gloves were from his trainer’s brand (Superpro Boxing Gear).
• Approval process: He says the gloves were submitted to the WBC for approval after initial doubts, with testing and checks by relevant parties.

Closing Message

• Gratitude to supporters: Verhoeven thanks fans—especially those who believed in him before his boxing debut.
• Motivational message: He emphasizes pursuing dreams, working hard, staying positive, and not wasting energy on negativity.

Presenters / Sources (as referenced in the subtitles)

• Ariel Helwani (host/interviewer)
• Rico Verhoeven (guest)
• Oleksandr Usyk (opponent)
• Peter Fury (trainer reference)
• Mark L (referee reference)
• WBC (sanctioning/appeal-related reference)
• Middle East Professional Boxing Commission (appeal destination)
• Turkey Shik / His Excellency Turquil Shik (promoter/executive reference)
• Dr. Rakan (team reference)
• Dennis (trainer reference)
• Tom Aspinall (mentioned via texts/DMs)
• Jason (mentioned as supporter/excitement about the fight)
• Jake Paul (mentioned)
• Francis Ngannou (mentioned)
• Hamza Shiraz (mentioned as co-main event guest with his thoughts)
• IFBs (mentioned by the host as production comms)