'So corrupt': Oleksandr Usyk vs. Rico Verhoeven controversy sparks mass outrage after chaotic stoppage

Rico Verhoeven appeared to be just minutes away from pulling off one of the biggest — if not the biggest — upsets in boxing history on Saturday. But in the end, it wasn’t meant to be. Verhoeven (1-1, 1 KO), a boxing neophyte and former GLORY Kickboxing heavyweight champion, suffered a controversial 11th-round loss to pound-for-pound king Oleksandr Usyk (25-0, 16 KOs) in their WBC heavyweight title fight at Egypt’s Pyramids of Giza.

Despite entering what was largely seen as a novelty bout as an overwhelming underdog, Verhoeven shocked the sporting world by outboxing Usyk for long stretches before things crashed to a halt under a cloud of controversy in the penultimate round. After Usyk rallied to score a Hail Mary knockdown late in the 11th frame, referee Mark Lyson bafflingly stopped the contest with what appeared to be zero seconds left on the clock, awarding Usyk a come-from-behind victory for the ages and prompting a cascade of outrage from across the combat sports world. Check out reaction to Usyk vs.

Verhoeven and Lyson’s stoppage below. The bell rang … and then it was stopped. WTF.

There are bad stoppages. And then there is this disgrace. pic.