Usyk-Verhoeven stoppage upheld after referee appeal ruling

The referee who stopped Oleksandr Usyk's heavyweight title defense against Rico Verhoeven told boxing officials he had already made up his mind to wave off the fight before the 11th-round bell sounded.

Mark Lyson's May stoppage in Egypt drew an immediate protest from Verhoeven's camp, which claimed the finish came after the bell and should be overturned. The Middle East Professional Boxing Commission ruled this week that while the physical wave-off did occur after the bell, the timing discrepancy does not warrant a reversal, per a ruling obtained by BBC Sport.

Lyson told the panel his decision was final regardless of when the clapper struck. "I decided I wanted to stop the contest... I had already seen enough," he said, according to the commission's published findings.

Safety call trumps timing dispute in MEPB ruling

The commission found no evidence of bad faith or corruption and stressed that referees retain full authority to halt a bout at any point, whether mid-round or between rounds. Official timekeeper Brad William confirmed a fractional delay between the bell and the stoppage, but the panel categorized it as a procedural issue with no bearing on Lyson's real-time safety judgment.

Verhoeven, the kickboxing legend making only his second professional boxing appearance, was ahead on two of three cards at the time of the finish. The scorecards read 95-95, 95-95, and 96-94 in the Dutchman's favor when Usyk landed a late barrage that dropped him and prompted the controversial intervention.

Verhoeven posted Wednesday that his formal appeal had been dismissed and called for an immediate rematch. Usyk, who retained his unified heavyweight titles with the win, has not yet confirmed his next opponent or fight date.

Source: bbc.com