Rico Verhoeven Turns Usyk Loss Into Full Rematch Campaign

The former challenger says he was ahead against Usyk and continues campaigning for a second fight following their heavyweight clash in Egypt

Rico Verhoeven is making no secret of his desire for a rematch with Oleksandr Usyk following their controversial heavyweight title fight in Egypt. Days after the 11th-round stoppage defeat, Verhoeven continues arguing that the fight was halted too soon and that he had done enough to be ahead on the cards.

“I feel like I’m the uncrowned king,” Verhoeven said to The Ring while continuing to push his case days after the loss to Usyk.

Rico also leaned heavily into the idea that boxing protected its champion once the fight became competitive. He repeatedly mentioned the open scoring, the referee stoppage, and the reaction from viewers who believed he was performing far better than expected.

“His excellency told me he wants to see the rematch because he’s like, ‘You were ahead. You were winning.’ Then this happens, and the referee jumps in. It doesn’t make any sense.”

The strategy is obvious now.

Rico is trying to build public pressure before Usyk’s team finalizes its next move. Instead of quietly accepting the knockout loss, he is turning the stoppage into an ongoing debate. Every interview keeps the controversy alive a little longer.

The interesting part is that he might actually get what he wants.

Usyk’s sporting director, Sergey Lapin, recently said the heavyweight champion now wants to focus only on “major events” going forward. That one comment changed the heavyweight picture immediately because it lowered the chances of Usyk facing dangerous mandatory challengers like Agit Kabayel or IBF mandatory Frank Sanchez next.

Neither Kabayel nor Sanchez brings the money or spectacle attached to a Rico rematch.

Kabayel is probably the worst style option available right now for Usyk outside of a younger elite heavyweight. His pressure, body punching, and willingness to walk through punishment make him a physically difficult fight for a 39-year-old champion. Sanchez creates a different kind of problem because of his size, patience, and technical approach.

A second Rico fight is cleaner politically and commercially.

Usyk already stopped him once. The controversy from the ending gives Saudi organizers a built-in storyline. Rico has now spent days publicly selling the rematch for free. By the time a second fight is finished, Tyson Fury could also be available for a lucrative trilogy that would overshadow Kabayel or Sanchez financially.

That is why Rico’s media run suddenly feels less emotional and far more calculated.

He sounds like a man campaigning for votes, and right now, the people controlling heavyweight boxing may be listening.

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