Rico Verhoeven believes he is the ‘uncrowned king’ of the heavyweight division after his controversial stoppage defeat by Oleksandr Usyk.The Dutchman is demanding an apology from the commissions in charge and referee Mark Lyson over the decision to call off the WBC title bout at the end of the 11th round.The bout was under the Egyptian Professional Boxing Association but the officials were appointed by the sanctioning body, WBC.He is also seeking a rematch with Usyk, although admitted he has not holding out too much hope for that and is still planning to pursue a career in boxing.Kickboxing star Verhoeven, 37, stunned most as he pushed two-time undisputed and unbeaten heavyweight champion Usyk, 39, all the way in a scrappy contest in front of the pyramids in Giza, Egypt on Saturday night.It was just his second ever professional boxing bout — his previous one coming in 2014 over four rounds — and he managed to hold his own against a future hall-of-fame fighter despite much debate over whether he should have been allowed to step into the ring against someone of that class.But he was floored by the Ukrainian in the 11th round before an onslaught of punches forced Lyson to step in. However, the British referee’s decision was controversial as the bell had just sounded to end the round and Verhoeven felt he should have been given the minute interval to recover and continue in the 12th.“Super disappointed,” Verhoeven told The Athletic. “I was super disappointed because I wanted this so bad and just the opportunity to get into that 12th round was taken away from me.“And the opportunity for Usyk to potentially knock me out in the 12th round was also taken from him. So it was a loss for everybody. I was still there, I was not seriously hurt and the round was over.“We have appealed the decision. We just said like, ‘Hey, I’m not going to be drawn out as the winner of the fight or whatever but what I hope for is just an apology’. Just an apology, they should say like ‘Here we go, you’re right, we could have done better’. That’s it.“I feel like the uncrowned king.”Verhoeven pushed two-time undisputed and unbeaten heavyweight champion Usyk all the way. (Khaled Desouki / AFP via Getty Images)Verhoeven was also aghast at the scorecards for the bout. At ringside, two of the three judges had the bout level after the 10th round. While a third had Verhoeven winning 96-94 but because of the knockdown in the 11th, he would have trailed going into the final three minutes should the bout have been allowed to carry on.The Dutch fighter has spoken to Saudi boxing powerbroker Turki Al-Sheikh about getting a rematch. The Ring Magazine owner staged the fight but the decision is expected to come from Usyk, who is also set to be mandated to face WBC No, 1 ranked contender Agit Kabayel.“The rematch would be amazing,” he said. “But let’s see. I don’t know if Usyk wants it. It would be up to him. The fans will surely want it.”But he is planning to now stay in the sport while he also thanked English movie star Jason Statham for helping him land the bout with Usyk and change his life. Statham was the one who suggested to Al-Sheikh that Verhoeven should get a fight against Usyk.“I’m excited about staying in boxing,” he said. “So whatever opponent they give to me, I’m ready for. I’ve fought the top guy already. I’ve fought the guy who beat everybody and I was close to beating him so I’m ready for anybody.“We already started talks (with Turki Al-Sheikh) of potentially doing something. But let’s see. I am incredibly thankful to Jason for this opportunity. And he knows that. I’ve been talking to him daily.“He was incredibly proud of what I’ve shown and he knew this was going to happen. That’s cool to hear.”May 28, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms