JAKE PAUL and the boxing world blasted referee Mark Lyson after Oleksandr Usyk scored a late stoppage win against kickboxer Rico Verhoeven.
In a series of posts on social media, the YouTuber-turned-boxer was one of a number of fighters who made their feelings about heard.
RIco Verhoeven was stopped by Oleksandr Usyk with just ONE SECOND of round 11 to go Credit: Reuters
Jake Paul was one of a number of people from the boxing world to criticise the stoppage Credit: Splash
Verhoeven had been ahead on the scorecards at the time of the TKO – which came .
Despite being the pound-for-pound king, struggled against Verhoeven, whose awkward style and hard punching saw him rack up rounds.
While after 10 rounds and one had him just two ahead, DAZN analyst Mike Coppinger had it scored 98-92 to the Dutchman.
And , whose fighting future is in doubt after the broken jaw suffered at the hands of , was one of those left angry on social media.
He wrote: “I mean that’s the most insane s*** I’ve ever seen.
“Rico winning every round and the moment the ref sees to end it then he ends it, are you kidding.
“I’m the biggest .
“Shoutout to Rico for beating his ass every round and getting jipped. Damnnnnnn.”
The Home of Boxing in 2026
There's a massive year of boxing ahead!
It’s shaping up to be a blockbuster year of action inside the boxing ring.
takes on the king of kickboxing Rico Verhoeven and Fabio Wardley will defend his newly won heavyweight crown against fellow Brit .
returns to the ring in July to face Kristian Prenga ahead of a potential blockbuster bout against Tyson Fury later in the year.
will be hoping to make a comeback after his defeat to Terence Crawford, while Dave Allen will also be looking to get back to winning ways against Filip Hrgovic.
A whole bunch of British stars could also take a leap into superstardom, with the likes of , Hamzah Sheeraz and Adam Azim ready to join the very top of the sport.
May
- Sat 23 – Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven – WBC title – DAZN
- Sat 30 – Dmitry Bivol vs Michael Eifert – DAZN
- Sat 30 – Adam Azim vs Steve Claggett – DAZN
June
- Sat 6 – Fame Fighting v Misfits Boxing – The Sun
- Sat 6 – Dalton Smith vs Alberto Puello – WBC super lightweight title – DAZN
- Sat 6 – Chris Billam-Smith vs Ryan Rozicki – Paramount+
- Sat 13 – Tommy Fury vs Eddie Hall – DAZN
- Sat 13 – Antonio Vargas vs Jesse “Bam” Rodrigues – DAZN
- Sat 20 – Ryan Garner vs Michael Magnesi – DAZN
- Sat 27 – Xander Zayas vs Jaron Ennis – DAZN
July
- Sat 25 – Anthony Joshua vs Kristian Prenga – DAZN
*If you click a link in this boxout, we will earn affiliate revenue.
He then added: “Crazy that Rico Verhoeven the best boxer of our generation and he ain’t boxed hahahah. S***’s insane.
“It’s like when y’all think Francis [Ngannou] better than me and he goes unconscious in 1 round.
“Fam it’s embarrassing that boxing can be disrupted like that but it is what it is.”
World champ wrote: “Oh s***”, before adding: “Usyk turned it on when he needed, the ref helped for sure, but who’s to say Usyk wasn’t gone get him out of there he had plenty time.. Bad night in the office don’t look like he was in tip top shape to me!
“Agreed 100 per cent the ref robbed us of what was gone happen next.
“Now run the rematch.”
wrote: “Terrible stoppage.”
British prospect William Crolla added: “I’m a professional boxer and it might be rigged.”
MMA stars also waded into the debate, with UFC star Belal Muhammed writing: “Boxing is so corrupt.”
WHile Dillon Danis wrote: “That was the most rigged s*** I’ve ever seen.
“Never watching boxing again. What a f***ing joke of a sport.
“Rico Verhoeven just schooled one of the best boxers in the world and still got robbed.
“F*** boxing, he won that fight.”
Eze Chidiebere Paul
I'm dedicated to creating high-quality content that informs, inspires, and delights. If you have any questions or suggestions, don't hesitate to get in touch. Happy reading!
