Tom Aspinall didn’t hold back after watching Rico Verhoeven fall short against Oleksandr Usyk in their WBC heavyweight title clash, labeling the ending as nothing short of outrageous.
The UFC heavyweight champion was watching the fight live on his YouTube channel when the dramatic finish unfolded. With just one second remaining in Round 11, the referee stepped in to stop the bout following a late flurry from Usyk, a decision that immediately sparked widespread debate.
Aspinall’s reaction was instant and emotional.
“Oh, what? He stopped it? No f*cking way,” Aspinall said during the live stream on his YouTube channel. “For a world title fight, he stopped it with about five or six unanswered shots. What? Mate, what the f*cking hell is that? What a robbery. What a fix that is.”
The British heavyweight, who has trained alongside Verhoeven in the past, made it clear he believed the stoppage wasn’t just premature but deeply questionable.
“I think he’s fine there. Gum shield’s gone, but I think he’s alright… Last 10 seconds, Rico can survive this,” he said. “Oh what, he stopped it?! No f*cking way!”
Aspinall went further by comparing the decision to other recent fights, arguing that far worse damage has been allowed to continue without intervention.
“Two weeks ago, we were at Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois ringside,” he said. “Mate, that happened probably 10 times. Sent Fabio Wardley out there, big swollen eye, nose smashed, dropped multiple times… they let that go. Rico gets stumbled with 10 seconds left and they don’t even let him make it to the end of the round? It’s a f*cking robbery.”
He also pointed to the timing of the stoppage, suggesting Verhoeven was denied a fair chance to recover between rounds.
“The bell went. So he stopped it after the round, basically,” Aspinall said. “Why not give him a chance? It’s not like he was taking a beating for the full fight. He took a few punches late, with one round to go. I can’t believe that.”
Beyond the stoppage itself, Aspinall hinted at a broader issue within the sport, questioning whether fighters from outside traditional boxing backgrounds are given a fair shake.
“Boxing don’t want anyone else to win. Simple as that,” he said. “They want boxers with the amateur style, Olympic medals, unbeaten records. That’s what they want. They don’t like other combat sports. It’s bullsh*t.”
Verhoeven had entered the fight as a heavy underdog with limited professional boxing experience, but his performance surprised many, with some believing he was competitive on the scorecards heading into the final rounds.