But the former kickboxing champion nearly pulled off the improbable before getting controversially stopped with a second left in the 11th round on Saturday.At the time of stoppage, Verhoeven was up 96-94 on one scorecard and tied 95-95 on the other two. Usyk’s dominant 11th featured a knockdown in the final seconds that would have forced the reeling Verhoeven to score at least a knockdown of his own for a 10-8 round so that he wouldn’t have lost on the cards.
“I heard the 10-second warning and I was like, ‘Keep slipping and sliding’ to try and get through it and recover and fight for the 12th,” Verhoeven told IFL.
“I thought maybe after the knockdown, we were even on the scorecards. I thought at least we get to fight until the end, even better for the fans. But I didn’t get the opportunity to shock the world, the referee thought differently.”
Despite the defeat, Verhoeven surprised the combat sports world and gave a solid account of himself against Usyk (26-0, 15 KOs), The Ring, IBF, WBA and WBC heavyweight champion and The Ring’s No. 2-pound-for-pound fighter.
“I don’t care that the people didn’t know, but I knew we had a good shot versus this guy,” said Verhoeven. “I showed that I can fight and I can box, so I am ready for anybody … Maybe I didn’t hurt him, but I definitely surprised him with the angles I took to him.”
Verhoeven (1-1, 1 KO), a 37-year-old from The Netherlands, certainly earned more shots in the squared circle. With his strong performance, he plans on seizing untapped opportunities entering the next chapter of his fighting career.
“I just want the biggest fights,” said Verhoeven. “The kickboxing chapter has closed. It’s a new chapter now — the boxing chapter.”
Manouk Akopyan is The Ring’s lead writer. Follow him on X and Instagram: @ManoukAkopyan