Tom Aspinall Slams Oleksandr Usyk-Rico Verhoeven Finish, Accuses Boxing of Bias Against Crossover Fighters

UFC heavyweight Tom Aspinall was appalled by the alleged foul play involved in the Rico Verhoeven vs. Oleksandr Usyk boxing match.

Tom Aspinall Slams Oleksandr Usyk-Rico Verhoeven Finish, Accuses Boxing of Bias Against Crossover Fighters

Tom Aspinall has voiced his outrage over the controversial ending to the fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Rico Verhoeven, claiming the referee, Mark Lyson, stopped the bout prematurely. The English heavyweight believes the 11th-round finish that handed Usyk the victory involved questionable officiating.

Verhoeven entered the 12-round crossover title fight as a heavy underdog against the heavyweight boxing champion, but stunned many by pushing Usyk to the limit. Several observers, including Aspinall and the DAZN commentary team, felt the Dutchman was ahead on the scorecards before the stoppage.

Aspinall, who shares a close bond with Verhoeven and trained with him last year, said he felt his friend was robbed of a potential victory. Having witnessed Verhoeven’s abilities firsthand, the UFC heavyweight champion strongly criticized the referee’s decision following Saturday’s dramatic finish.

Oh what, he stopped it?! No way! For a world title fight he stopped it, for about five or six unanswered shots! What?! Mate, what the hell is that? What a robbery! What a fix! That is outrageous!

Tom Aspinall via YouTube channel

Aspinall alleged that the finish was rigged, with boxers having an amateur background and Olympic credentials given preferential treatment.

Boxing don’t want anyone else to win, simple as that. They want boxers with the amateur style, coming in, winning their Olympic medal, and then switching over and being unbeaten pros. That’s what they want. They don’t like other combat sports.

Tom Aspinall via his YouTube channel

Aspinall is far from the only figure questioning the controversial stoppage in the fight between Usyk and Verhoeven. MVP co-founder and influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul also voiced his disappointment over the ending of the championship bout.

Several fans and analysts even compared the fight to Francis Ngannou’s controversial boxing debut against Tyson Fury, where many believed the underdog deserved a better result. However, the debate surrounding Saturday’s fight may be far from over, as Verhoeven reportedly plans to formally protest the referee’s decision.

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Rico Verhoeven plans to appeal his recent loss to Oleksandr Usyk

Rico Verhoeven was a +1480 betting underdog heading into the Oleksandr Usyk fight. Clearly, not many gave him a chance to win against the lineal heavyweight champion who had beaten fighters like Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury twice, though one of the latter wins was quite divisive.

Oleksandr Usyk defeats Rico Verhoeven
Oleksandr Usyk defeats Rico Verhoeven (via Instagram)

However, even that decision victory over Fury seems quite decisive in the face of Usyk’s latest fight. In light of the controversial stoppage, Verhoeven revealed that he will appeal the ending of the championship fight.

I just saw the end because of all the comments I was reading, and they stopped the fight after the bell. So the bell went, and then they stopped the fight. So, yeah, I think we might just go and appeal it because this doesn’t make any sense, right? Like if the bell goes, and then stop the fight – why, you know? Then it’s my time to rest.

Rico Verhoeven via Boxing News

The Dutch kickboxer admitted to the knockdown count itself being fair. However, he still contested the stoppage, saying he believed he was defending himself.

It was a good eight count. It was needed, but I felt like because I hear the click, so I’m like, we got like ten seconds. So let’s just keep on the move, hands up, and catch the shots. I feel like that’s what I was doing.

Rico Verhoeven via Boxing News

Verhoeven wants the stoppage to be turned over to a no-contest or sent to the judges’ scorecard. The Glory kickboxing was ultimately grateful for the event’s success, later thanking Turki Alalshaikh and the Ukrainian champion on social media.

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