6 days ago
Rico Verhoeven, nan Dutch erstwhile kickboxer who has switched to boxing, wants an apology arsenic good arsenic a rematch, aft being stopped one 2nd earlier nan end of nan penultimate information successful a WBC title bout pinch unified world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk past Saturday.
The stoppage was controversial, pinch Verhoeven emotion he could person continued and immoderate replays suggesting nan doorbell whitethorn person rung earlier nan referee signalled nan extremity of nan conflict — only Verhoeven’s 2nd since switching to boxing — astatine nan Pyramids of Giza successful Egypt.
Scorecards published by The Ring mag afterwards showed 2 of nan 3 judges had nan conflict tied 95-95 going into nan 11th of 12 rounds and nan different had Verhoeven up 96-94.
“[I want] conscionable an apology. What other tin we do? I can’t request thing else,” Verhoeven told nan BBC connected Thursday, adding that his squad had lodged an entreaty pinch nan WBC.
“Mistakes tin beryllium made because we’re each quality and that’s OK. But each I’m looking for really is: ‘Yeah, sorry guys, this could person gone otherwise — this is thing we person to look astatine and hopefully this doesn’t hap successful nan future.’ That’s it and past let’s proceed from location and get to nan rematch.”
Germany’s Agit Kabayel is nan WBC’s mandatory challenger and Usyk could person to conflict him first earlier immoderate rematch pinch Verhoeven.
“Let’s spot what pops up next,” said Verhoeven. “But I person to beryllium honest, it’s sewage to beryllium big. I consciousness for illustration I’m nan uncrowned king.”
