The controversial heavyweight boxing bout between Oleksandr Usyk and Rico Verhoeven last month saw its referee, Mark Lyson, inform a boxing commission that he had sufficient grounds to halt the contest in the 11th round, even before the bell sounded. This revelation comes after Verhoeven, 37, launched an appeal against the result, which ultimately saw him lose to the Ukrainian boxing star.
Verhoeven's appeal to the Middle East Professional Boxing Commission (MEPB) centred on his claim that the fight in Egypt was concluded after the official bell for the 11th round had already sounded. While the commission, in its ruling seen by BBC Sport, acknowledged that the stoppage occurred after the bell, it concluded that this timing discrepancy had no bearing on the final outcome of the fight. The Dutchman had confirmed on Wednesday that his formal protest had been dismissed.
At the time of the stoppage, the scorecards showed a remarkably close contest, with two judges scoring it 95-95 and one judge giving it 96-94 in favour of Verhoeven, a kickboxing legend. Despite being on the verge of what would have been a significant upset against Usyk, the unified heavyweight world champion, Verhoeven was sent to the canvas by a late surge from his opponent. Although he beat the count, a subsequent flurry of punches in the closing seconds of the round prompted Lyson to intervene and wave off the fight, a decision many observers felt was harsh on the challenger.
The MEPB stated that Referee Lyson acted in good faith and with the primary objective of ensuring boxer safety. The commission indicated it could only have overturned the result if the referee had not acted in such a manner. Lyson unequivocally stated, as per the ruling, 'I decided I wanted to stop the contest... I had already seen enough.' The commission further emphasised that under its rules, the referee is the sole arbiter of the contest and possesses the full authority to stop a fight at any time they deem appropriate, regardless of whether it's during or between rounds.
A timing discrepancy raised by official timekeeper Brad William was also considered but did not meet the commission's threshold for overturning the referee's discretionary decision. The panel acknowledged William's evidence, but clarified that 'even if the physical wave-off occurred fractionally after the bell, this is, at its highest, a procedural timing discrepancy. It does not constitute bad faith, corruption, fraud, or arbitrariness.' Medical evidence from Dr Neil Scott confirmed Verhoeven, participating in only his second professional boxing fight, was medically stable post-contest, and this did not undermine the referee's real-time safety assessment. Verhoeven has since called for an immediate rematch, arguing that fans were denied a full 12th round.