{"id":244921,"date":"2026-05-24T05:25:19","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T05:25:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/24\/rico-verhoeven-drops-three-word-reaction-after-francis-ngannou-calls-him-the-winner-against-oleksandr-usyk\/"},"modified":"2026-05-24T05:25:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T05:25:19","slug":"rico-verhoeven-drops-three-word-reaction-after-francis-ngannou-calls-him-the-winner-against-oleksandr-usyk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/24\/rico-verhoeven-drops-three-word-reaction-after-francis-ngannou-calls-him-the-winner-against-oleksandr-usyk\/","title":{"rendered":"Rico Verhoeven drops three-word reaction after Francis Ngannou calls him the &#8220;winner&#8221; against Oleksandr Usyk\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-content\" data-postid=\"5171073\" data-slug-id=\"2786051\">\n<div class=\"vidazoo-player-container\">\n<span class=\"vidazoo-close-btn  hidden \"><br \/>\n<img data-lazy=\"\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/cmc-predictor\/v2\/cross-icon.png?w=40\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" alt=\"close\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Rico Verhoeven responded shortly after Francis Ngannou publicly backed him following the controversial ending to his heavyweight boxing match against Oleksandr Usyk.<\/p>\n<p>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:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Outsiders will never win, trust me I know, but Rico was the winner tonight. Period.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><em>Check out the Instagram post below:<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"bottom-tagline top\" data-tab=\"top\">\n<p>Get the latest updates on One Championship <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/mma\/one-championship-rankings\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\" class=\"bottom_tagline_link\" data-tab=\"top\">Rankings<\/a> at Sportskeeda and more<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><template id=\"also-read-articles-template\"><\/p>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<p>Verhoeven later replied with a brief message, writing:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Appreciate you champ.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><em>Check out the reaction below:<\/em><\/p>\n<figure class=\"image\"><noscript><\/noscript><img class=\"lazy-img\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1200\" data-img=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/05\/5ba84-17795907026532-1920.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/05\/5ba84-17795907026532-1920.jpg?w=190 190w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/05\/5ba84-17795907026532-1920.jpg?w=720 720w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/05\/5ba84-17795907026532-1920.jpg?w=640 640w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/05\/5ba84-17795907026532-1920.jpg?w=1045 1045w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/05\/5ba84-17795907026532-1920.jpg?w=1200 1200w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/05\/5ba84-17795907026532-1920.jpg?w=1460 1460w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/05\/5ba84-17795907026532-1920.jpg?w=1600 1600w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/05\/5ba84-17795907026532-1920.jpg 1920w\" alt=\"Rico Verhoeven reacts after Francis Ngannou calls out controversial Oleksandr Usyk result. [Screenshot courtesy: @francisngannou on Instagram]\" data-img-low=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/05\/5ba84-17795907026532-1920.jpg?w=640\" bad-src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,&lt;svg%20xmlns=%22http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg%22%20viewBox=%220%200%201920%201200%22&gt;&lt;\/svg&gt;\"\/><figcaption>Rico Verhoeven reacts after Francis Ngannou calls out controversial Oleksandr Usyk result. [Screenshot courtesy: @francisngannou on Instagram]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The reaction came after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/mma\/news-oleksandr-usyk-vs-rico-verhoeven-live-round-by-round-updates\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">one of the most debated endings<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>Ngannou\u2019s reaction carried extra weight because of his crossover experience against <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/player\/tyson-fury\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Tyson Fury<\/a> in 2023, where many fans believed he deserved the decision despite losing on the judges\u2019 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.<\/p>\n<p>Several major names across combat sports also questioned the stoppage, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/player\/jake-paul\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Jake Paul<\/a>, Ariel Helwani, Shakur Stevenson, Dillon Danis, and Belal Muhammad.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-post-rating-widget\">\n<p><template id=\"post-rating-feedback-modal-template\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-feedback-box\">\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-content\">\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-data\">\n<p>Why did you not like this content?<\/p>\n<p><textarea id=\"dislike-feedback-text\" rows=\"4\" placeholder=\"Please type your feedback...\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<button class=\"close\">Cancel<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"submit\">Submit<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-widget-parent hidden\">\n<div class=\"rating-parent-container\">\n<div class=\"rating-content-holder\">\n<p>Was this article helpful?<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-action-container\">\n<div class=\"like-container\">\n<button class=\"post-rating-like-button post-rating-button\" data-action=\"like\" title=\"like article\"><br \/>\n<img class=\"post-like-image post-rating-image\" data-lazy=\"\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/like-articles\/upvote-icon-grey.svg\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"like selected\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dislike-container\">\n<button class=\"post-rating-dislike-button post-rating-button\" data-action=\"dislike\" title=\"dislike article\"><br \/>\n<img class=\"post-dis-like-image post-rating-image\" data-lazy=\"\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/like-articles\/upvote-icon-grey.svg\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"avatar selected\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\nThank You for feedback\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tag-cloud\">\n<div class=\"tags-text\">\n<div class=\"scrollable-content-holder  article-padding\">\n<p class=\"article-p  \">Quick Links<\/p>\n<p><button id=\"pnAdvancerLeft\" class=\"pn-Advancer pn-Advancer_Left \" type=\"button\"><br \/>\n<img style=\"background: none;\" data-lazy=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/skm\/assets\/article\/article-scroll-left.svg\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button><\/p>\n<nav id=\"pnProductNav\" class=\"pn-ProductNav\">\n<\/nav>\n<p><button id=\"pnAdvancerRight\" class=\"pn-Advancer pn-Advancer_Right \" type=\"button\"><br \/>\n<img style=\"background: none;\" data-lazy=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/skm\/assets\/article\/article-scroll-right.svg\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<p>More from Sportskeeda<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<span class=\"publisher-name\">Edited by Abhishek Nambiar<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/mma\/news-rico-verhoeven-drops-three-word-reaction-francis-ngannou-calls-winner-oleksandr-usyk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":244922,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6806],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-244921","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-gossip"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244921","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=244921"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244921\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/244922"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=244921"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=244921"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=244921"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}