“I thought the referee knew we were close, I heard the clicker [to mark 10 seconds left in the round],” said Dutchman Rico Verhoeven, having been stopped with a second to go in the 11th round against Oleksandr Usyk in Egypt.
Verhoeven had acquitted himself tremendously well and was level on two cards and ahead on a third after 10 sessions.
“Okay, last 10 seconds. It’s so stupid but okay, let’s make it to the end. Now we have to fight to the 12th because I thought I was up a little. Because of the eight count I thought, ‘Oh, now we’re equal again.’ It is what it is. Let’s fight to the end and give the fans what they want. I could still lose, but at least I went into the 12th. I could have gone out on my shield.
“He was exactly as I expected. He was extremely good.”
Asked about the hypothetical possibilities, if he was upset at not being given the chance to fight on, he told the BBC: “On one side it does, on the other side there is no what if, there’s just the facts.”
Would he want the rematch?
“100 per cent. We live and we learn. Let’s see what His Excellency [Turki Alalshikh] wants. I’m here. I showed I can box and let’s see what’s next.”
Team Verhoeven took the loss with great grace while there has been uproar on social media at Mark Lyson’s stoppage.
“A loss is a loss,” said Peter Fury, Verhoeven’s boxing coach. “We can’t moan over spilt milk. He got tired in there. Experience let him down a bit. He didn’t know how to pace the fight that well. He didn’t know when to grab hold, get a second wind, go again, he was constantly on him [Usyk] and he basically burned himself out.
“I thought it was a brilliant fight. I’m very proud of my man Rico. I thought he did exceptionally well. Everybody was writing him off, said he wouldn’t go three or four rounds, he’s just turned boxing up on its head.”
While some point to Usyk’s 39 years, possible lack of motivation and his career-high weight, Fury gave the Ukrainian star his props.
“Don’t take anything away from Oleksandr Usyk,” Fury said. “It was a brilliant performance because I know what Rico can do. I know what he’s been doing in the gym and he’s a phenomenal fighter.
“When you’ve got a big man hitting you with little gloves on and taking good shots, let’s give Usyk his due. He’s a tough man. And to withstand the punishment Rico was giving him he needs credit again. I’ll celebrate the champion’s win; Rico will come again.”
Fury, too, was asked what might have happened had Lyson allowed the bout to go on.
“We don’t know what could have happened in the 12th,” he said, adding that Verhoeven – now 1-1 (1 KOs) as a professional boxer – would box again.
“Even if it had gone to points, because he’s been knocked down it probably would have went Usyk’s way anyway, so let’s have a reality check. Usyk got the job done. My man did out of this world. We ain’t seen the best of Rico. Now he’s got the experience.”
