Rico Verhoeven responded shortly after Francis Ngannou publicly backed him following the controversial ending to his heavyweight boxing match against Oleksandr Usyk.
After Usyk secured an 11th-round TKO victory in Egypt, Ngannou posted online that outsiders in boxing rarely receive fair treatment and insisted Verhoeven was the real winner of the fight. He posted a picture with the Glory kickboxing legend and captioned the post:
“Outsiders will never win, trust me I know, but Rico was the winner tonight. Period.”
Check out the Instagram post below:
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Verhoeven later replied with a brief message, writing:
“Appreciate you champ.”
Check out the reaction below:
![Rico Verhoeven reacts after Francis Ngannou calls out controversial Oleksandr Usyk result. [Screenshot courtesy: @francisngannou on Instagram]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2026/05/5ba84-17795907026532-1920.jpg)
The reaction came after one of the most debated endings in recent crossover boxing history. Verhoeven, competing in only his second professional boxing match, entered the contest as a massive underdog against the undefeated unified heavyweight champion.
However, the Dutch kickboxing star shocked much of the combat sports world by remaining competitive throughout the fight and even appearing ahead on one official scorecard before the stoppage. The controversy centered around the final sequence late in round 11.
Usyk dropped Verhoeven with a sharp uppercut during the closing seconds before swarming him with follow-up punches immediately after he beat the count. With just one second remaining before the bell, the referee stepped in and waved the fight off moments before the round officially ended.
The timing instantly triggered backlash online because many believed Verhoeven should have been allowed to survive the round and continue into the twelfth. Critics argued the stoppage denied him a legitimate chance to recover during the break and finish the fight on his own terms.
Ngannou’s reaction carried extra weight because of his crossover experience against Tyson Fury in 2023, where many fans believed he deserved the decision despite losing on the judges’ scorecards. His comments appeared to suggest that fighters transitioning from MMA or kickboxing into elite-level boxing often face uphill battles when it comes to judging and officiating.
Several major names across combat sports also questioned the stoppage, including Jake Paul, Ariel Helwani, Shakur Stevenson, Dillon Danis, and Belal Muhammad.
Edited by Abhishek Nambiar