Bellew Calls Verhoeven Stoppage Premature

Tony Bellew has made his position clear on the controversial ending to Oleksandr Usyk's eleventh-round stoppage of Rico Verhoeven — he believes the fight was stopped too soon, and that Verhoeven deserved the chance to continue.

Verhoeven, widely dismissed as a crossover opponent with one professional boxing bout on his record, put in a performance that had significant sections of the audience wondering whether a genuine upset was unfolding. Usyk found the shot he needed late in the eleventh, dropping the kickboxing star, but Verhoeven beat the count and was back on his feet when referee Mark Lyson intervened following a flurry of shots in the corner.

Bellew believed Verhoeven should have been given the opportunity to continue after getting back to his feet. Usyk retains his WBC, WBA, and IBF heavyweight titles and moves one fight closer to the three-fight retirement he has outlined. The controversy around the finish will follow this one for some time.

“It’s the only time in his whole career I’ve seen Usyk outworked. He started some of the rounds quite well but when it came to the last 30 seconds he was losing them, he was getting out landed if I’m being totally honest.

“I think Peter Fury [Verhoeven’s trainer] is spot on, I don’t think he would have been ready to carry on in the 12th. He was done, he was spent, but a massive part of that is down to experience. If I’m being totally honest a rematch is the least that boy deserves.

“He’s a top referee, he’s human. I feel for everyone. I do want to see him come out for that 12th round without a shadow or a doubt and he should have been allowed that. I wasn’t writing the scores down at the end of each round but I’m not going to lie, he’s possibly ahead going into the 11th round. In no way shape or form should that have been stopped and we’re never going to know now so you know what the best thing to do is? Just run it back,” Bellew said