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The controversial stoppage in the boxing title fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Rico Verhoeven didn’t sit well with many viewers — including Jake Paul.
Paul, a social media star turned professional boxer and promoter, openly criticized Usyk’s TKO victory in his WBC heavyweight title defense against the former Glory kickboxing champion. The fight, held in front of the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt and broadcast live on DAZN pay-per-view, was stopped at 2:59 of Round 11 — just one second before the bell.
A large portion of fans online, as well as the DAZN commentary team, believed Verhoeven was ahead on the scorecards and on his way to a decision win — potentially one of the biggest upsets in boxing history. Despite being dropped in the final 20 seconds of the round, Verhoeven didn’t appear badly hurt. He was back on his feet, hands up in defense, and immediately protested when the referee stepped in.
Paul took to X (formerly Twitter) to voice his frustration with the outcome of the fight:
“Can’t ignore this — Usyk is one of the best of our generation, but Rico was outworking him every round. So does that make Rico the best of our generation?” Paul wrote.
“I truly love boxing, but what happened tonight is disappointing. The sport — and the fans — deserve better.”
He also hinted at future plans, posting: “Rico vs Francis — MVP / MVP MMA.”
Paul, co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions, has been involved in helping Verhoeven explore opportunities outside of kickboxing. Earlier this month, he aimed to book Verhoeven against former UFC champion Francis Ngannou in an MMA bout for MVP’s debut event on Netflix. However, Verhoeven chose to pursue the boxing match with Usyk instead. As his posts suggest, Paul is still interested in making the Verhoeven vs. Ngannou fight happen.
With the victory, Usyk improved his undefeated record to 25-0, further solidifying his status as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters and the leading heavyweight in the sport. The Ukrainian has held the unified heavyweight titles since 2025, including the WBA, WBC, WBO, and IBO belts.
Meanwhile, Verhoeven drops to 1-1 in professional boxing. His only previous bout was a knockout win back in 2014 in Germany. In kickboxing, however, he remains dominant — unbeaten since 2015 and currently riding a 22-fight winning streak.
