Eddie Hearn has revealed his assessment of the rounds that preceded Oleksandr Usyk’s controversial stoppage of Rico Verhoeven last Saturday.
The two heavyweights squared off for Usyk’s WBC world title, with many expecting the defending champion to march through his crossover assignment with relative ease.
Given the Ukrainian’s status as a three-time, two-division undisputed king, it is hardly surprising that his opponent was written off to such a great extent.
When considering, too, that this was Verhoeven’s second-ever professional boxing match, many felt that he would swiftly crumble under the suffocating pressure of Usyk.
As it happened, though, the Dutch kickboxer managed to find considerable success in the early rounds, making his opponent seem more beatable than ever before.
Then, by round 11, Verhoeven was boasting a 96-94 lead on one of the judges’ cards, while the other two scoring officials had reached a 95-95 verdict.
At this point, Usyk perhaps sensed that he needed a moment of magic, and so the 39-year-old dramatically floored his man with an expertly-timed uppercut.
Despite Verhoeven regaining his footing, referee Mark Lyson had committed to waving him off at the sound of the bell, with many suggesting that the 11th-round finish came too early.
Subscribing to this view, Matchroom promoter Hearn told IFL TV that he, like judge Pasquale Procopio, had Verhoeven ahead at the time of the stoppage.
“I had Rico up in the fight, going into that 11th round. I thought it was a poor stoppage.
“I know you can never think about how long [is] left in the round but, what was there, a couple seconds left in the round?
“I think when you’re up in the fight, or you’re that competitive, [the referee] can’t stop a fight when he’s not taking any serious punishment, even though the knockdown was heavy.”
Regardless of whether the stoppage was premature, Usyk’s performance has led many to suspect that Father Time may finally have caught up with him.