SportBoxingKickboxing legend Verhoeven was stopped by Usyk in the 11th round - but referee Mark Lycett waved the fight off AFTER the bell had sounded09:17, 24 May 2026Updated 09:17, 24 May 2026Rico Verhoeven has already lodged an appeal against his controversial defeat by Oleksandr Usyk.‌Kickboxing legend Verhoeven was stopped by boxing world champion Usyk in the 11th round on Saturday night - but referee Mark Lycett waved the fight off AFTER the bell had sounded. And Verhoeven was only ahead on one of the three scorecards with the other two a draw heading into the final six minutes.‌The Dutchman has now posted an image to his social media pages showing his manager filing an appeal with the caption: "Official protest has been filed on our way to the Airport. Rules only matter if they are applied when it matters most." After the fight, Verhoeven had said: "I thought it was an early stoppage. It’s not up to me. I believe the referee knows that we’re almost at the end of the round, or let me go out on my shield or let the bell go…it was close and I thought we were equal on the scorecards."‌READ MORE: Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven scorecards from controversial fightREAD MORE: Boxing fans convinced Oleksandr Usyk's controversial fight was FIXEDUsyk, who was putting his WBA and WBC titles on the line, put Verhoeven on the canvas with a left uppercut having struggled throughout. Verhoeven, in just his second fight and first since 2014, had threatened to spring one of boxing’s biggest surprises as he frustrated Usyk.The 37-year-old appeared to throw Usyk with his unorthodox stance and struck first in the opening round, although the champion responded in the second. Usyk, 39, was not moving freely and was caught several times as the pace slowed into the middle rounds.Article continues belowHe came under pressure on the ropes as Verhoeven threatened the upset, catching Usyk with a strong right hand in the eighth before the Ukrainian responded with a left late in the round. Verhoeven again forced Usyk back onto the ropes in the ninth round and kept up the pressure in the 10th, but Usyk survived and delivered the decisive blows late in the 11th round.Speaking to Dazn, Usyk said: “This fight was hard. It was a good fight.” He said he was “ready” to fight Germany’s WBC interim champion Agit Kabayel, who was in the ring after the fight. Verhoeven said: “I thought it was an early stoppage but in the end it’s not up to me.”Jack Catterall will get a shot at the WBA welterweight world title after taking a big points win over Shakhram Giyasov. The Chorley fighter knocked down Giyasov in the first round of a dominant display, taking the WBA’s ‘regular’ welterweight title and earning a shot at WBA welterweight ‘super’ champion Rolando Romero. The fight was scored 118-109, 119-108 and 116-111 in Catterall’s favour.Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.‌World champions