Huge stars slam Usyk with criticism: Claims he was helped by the judges

Undefeated Ukrainian heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk came under heavy criticism after his victory over Dutch kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven at the major boxing event in Egypt. Usyk won by technical knockout in the 11th round after the referee stopped the fight, but the decision sparked huge controversy in the combat sports world.

Among the harshest critics was popular American blogger and boxer Jake Paul, who openly stated that Usyk had lost the fight.

“This is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen. Rico was winning every round and then the referee decided to stop the fight — are you serious? I’m a huge fan of Usyk, but bro, you lost this fight. Respect to Rico for beating him up every round and then getting robbed in the end,” Paul wrote on his X social media account.

I truly love boxing and what happened tonight seriously makes me sad. The sport and the fans deserve better

— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) May 24, 2026

Shortly afterward, former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou also backed Verhoeven and hinted that underdogs are never allowed to win on the scorecards.

“Underdogs never win, trust me, I know. But tonight Rico was the winner. Period,” Ngannou wrote on X.

Outsiders will never win, trust me I know, but Rico was the winner tonight. Period. pic.twitter.com/4QojrxYX2X

— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) May 23, 2026

After the fight, Verhoeven himself also criticized the referee’s intervention, saying the bout had been stopped too early and calling for an immediate rematch.

The judges’ scorecards added even more fuel to the fire. After 10 rounds, two of the judges had the fight scored as a draw, which only intensified the debate over the outcome and whether Usyk had been heavily favored.

Despite the controversy, the Ukrainian maintained his unbeaten professional record. Usyk now has 25 wins in the professional ring, 16 of them by knockout.