Turki Alalshikh wants Usyk-Kabayel in Germany after Verhoeven stoppage

Turki Alalshikh wants Oleksandr Usyk to face Agit Kabayel in Germany next, then grant Rico Verhoeven a rematch after what the Saudi boxing advisor called a premature stoppage at Glory in Giza on Saturday.

Usyk dropped Verhoeven with an uppercut in the 11th round and swarmed the kickboxing champion along the ropes as the bell sounded. Referee Mark Lyson waved off the contest before the final round could begin, handing Usyk a TKO victory that Alalshikh believes cut short a competitive fight. "It was a bad stoppage," Alalshikh told The Ring's Mike Coppinger. "Rico deserved to continue to fight. It's clear that Usyk was controlling in the end, but the referee should have allowed the fight to reach a clear result."

Kabayel waiting as mandatory challenger

Kabayel, the WBC's top-ranked contender and The Ring's No. 2 heavyweight, has been in line for a title shot against the unified champion. Alalshikh said he wants the bout staged in a stadium in Germany, with multiple Verhoeven rematches to follow. "Kabayel has waited a long time," Alalshikh said. "We want to do the fight in a stadium in Germany. And after that, we want to see the rematch with Rico."

Two scorecards at ringside had the fight level at 95-95 entering the 11th, while a third judge scored it 96-94 for Verhoeven. Alalshikh told Coppinger he had the kickboxer up three rounds before the stoppage and wants to see two more fights between the pair. Verhoeven rose on unsteady legs after the knockdown and had to walk to his corner to retrieve his mouthpiece before Usyk landed the finishing sequence.

The unified heavyweight champion improved to 25-0 with 16 knockouts. Verhoeven, making his second professional boxing appearance, drops to 1-1.

Source: ringmagazine.com