Ultimately, Verhoeven’s bid to pull off one of the biggest upsets in sports history fell just short when he got stopped late in the 11th round. The stoppage wasn’t without controversy, though, as referee Mark Lyson halted the bout right as the bell rang to end the round.

With how the fight ended and how well he performed, Verhoeven feels he proved he belongs atop the heavyweight division. The kickboxing legend is open to facing any of boxing’s top heavyweights, though his preference is a rematch against Usyk (25-0, 16 KOs).

“I’m ready for whoever,” Verhoeven said during the newest episode of “Inside The Ring,” which streamed live Monday on DAZN. “I’m here to stay. I think we showcased that we might be the best. I feel like I’m the uncrowned king.”

Before making the jump to boxing to face Usyk, The Ring’s No. 2-ranked fighter pound-for-pound, Verhoeven (1-1, 1 KO) was 66-10, including 21 knockouts, as a kickboxer.

He reigned as the Glory Kickboxing heavyweight champion from 2013 to 2025 before vacating the title. Verhoeven’s reign included climbing off the canvas on multiple occasions to win and retain his title, which added to his disappointment in Lyson’s decision.

The 37-year-old Verhoeven, of Bergen op Zoom, Netherlands, more than held his own for 10 rounds against the 39-year-old Ukrainian southpaw. Two of the judges, Manuel Oliver Palomo and Fabian Guggenheim, had the bout even, 95-95 apiece, while Pasquale Procopio had Verhoeven ahead 96-94.

With around 25 seconds left in the 11th round, Verhoeven was knocked down by a right uppercut. He rose to his feet on unsteady legs and had to walk to his corner to have his mouthpiece put back in.

With the end of the round near, Usyk swarmed Verhoeven with a barrage of punches. The challenger tried to fight back, but as the bell rang, Lyson intervened.

“I came back from worse,” Verhoeven said. “This was at the end of the round, so that was good for me, at least that’s what I thought. It wasn’t good, but you had to make the best of the situation, so I was like, ‘Oh man, but we’re fine. Let’s just continue. Let’s keep the hands up.’

“I already heard the click, so I knew the round was almost over, and then he jumps in. At first, I thought it was going to be the end of the round. He’s like, ‘No, it's over. It’s over.’ I said, ‘What do you mean it’s over? I was talking to the ref, like, ‘What are you doing?’ But yeah, that was what it was. To me, it was a premature stoppage. … It’s a heavyweight championship. Let me go out on my shield.”

Verhoeven will likely have to wait if he’s going to get a rematch with Usyk.

Agit Kabayel (27-0, 19 KOs), The Ring’s No. 2-ranked heavyweight, is Usyk’s mandatory challenger for his WBC title. Turki Alalshikh, owner of The Ring and chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, has made it known that he wants the unified heavyweight champion to face the German contender in Germany later this year before rematching Verhoeven.

Verhoeven disputes the notion that Usyk underestimated him heading into their fight. If that was the case, though, Verhoeven says he still has plenty to display against a better version of Usyk.

“I felt like we just had the best version of Usyk,” Verhoeven said. “We were bringing something that he hadn’t seen before. Now, of course, we get to the next thing, because people are going to say, ‘But now he’s felt you. He’s seen what you got. He saw your awkward style, now he’s gonna read and walk straight through you.

“I used a few tools against Usyk, but I have way more tools to use. In the next fight, I’m going to show you something different. If I’m going to fight somebody else, I’ll show you guys something different again.”