Peter Fury shares a chat he had with the referee on the flight home that changes everything about Usyk vs Verhoeven.
Peter Fury was on the same flight as referee Mark Lyson after Oleksandr Usyk’s win over Rico Verhoeven, and he’s now shared the honest chat they had that could change everything.
Fury, who helped kickboxing star Verhoeven get ready for Usyk at a training camp near Rotterdam, thinks the heavyweight champ should give Verhoeven a rematch after a stoppage that got a lot of attention.
Here’s what happened: Referee Lyson stopped the fight just moments after the bell rang at the end of the 11th round, right after Usyk landed a bunch of heavy punches.
Verhoeven felt the stoppage was too soon and thought he should’ve been allowed to fight the final round. “I thought it was an early stoppage, but in the end, it’s not up to me,” he said after the fight in Egypt.
It turns out two judges had the fight tied at 95-95, and the third had Verhoeven ahead 96-94. Verhoeven is reportedly planning to appeal the stoppage.
On Monday, Fury told YouTube channel iFL TV that he ran into referee Mark Lyson on the flight home from Egypt, and they talked about the controversial moment.
Fury said the referee admitted he didn’t actually hear the bell before stopping the fight.
“The referee was on my flight home, so I went to talk to him. The best way to clear up any disagreement is to ask the person who made the call,” Fury said.
“I told him, ‘You made a mistake.’ He replied, ‘Peter, I didn’t hear the bell.’ I said, ‘I believe you, because I didn’t hear it either.’ I thought it was a couple of seconds earlier.
“I was just going by what people around the ring were saying. I was focused on the fight itself.
“But that’s how it went down. It was all in the heat of the moment. Rico went down, and Usyk went to finish it. The ref was behind Usyk and didn’t see that no punches landed after the bell.
“Yes, it was a mistake, but I believe it was an honest one. I can’t accuse anyone of anything worse without proof. After talking to him, he was honest and said, ‘I never heard the bell.’
“I accept that, because I didn’t hear it either. But overall, I thought it was a great fight,” Fury added.
Like he said, Fury thinks there should be a rematch between Usyk and Verhoeven.
“I think the stoppage was early, but in the 11th round, Verhoeven was clearly tired. Maybe he couldn’t have made it to the 12th. But the stoppage was too soon,” Fury told DAZN.
“I’m all about respect – respect your opponent. No need for all that showboating. Usyk deserves full credit for the win.
“But I think they should have a rematch. Usyk will probably want to do it again. Verhoeven deserves another chance, especially since this was his first time going past five rounds.”