Verhoeven posted on his Instagram story that he’s protesting his 11th-round stoppage loss to Oleksandr Usyk in their Ring and WBC heavyweight title bout to headline “Glory in Giza” in Egypt on Saturday.

“Official protest has been filed on our way to the airport,” Verhoeven wrote. “Rules only matter if they are applied when it matters most.”

Should the protest be successful, Verhoeven (2-1, 1 KO) would be in line for a rematch against Usyk (25-0, 16 KOs). That result would complicate Usyk’s future with multiple mandatory challengers on the horizon.

Chief among them is Agit Kabayel, who was in the ring after the fight concluded. Kabayel (27-0, 19 KOs) is The Ring’s No. 2 heavyweight and the mandatory challenger for Usyk’s WBC title.

Queensberry Promotions’ Frank Warren, who represents Kabayel, said he’d be opposed to his fighter being sidelined for a rematch between Usyk and Verhoeven.

"They're talking about maybe doing a rematch with Usyk and Rico. We're not going to stand for that,” Warren told Sky Sports.

"Usyk's been there long enough, and he wants his moment, and that's what we'll be pushing for with WBC, and hopefully get it over the line and do that same time in the autumn.”

Verhoeven, who was 66-10 with 21 KOs as a kickboxer and reigned as the Glory Kickboxing heavyweight champion from 2013-25, fought valiantly and was on the doorstep of pulling off one of the biggest upsets in sports history. With just more than 20 seconds left in the 11th round, Usyk connected with a right uppercut that sent him to the canvas. Verhoeven rose on unsteady legs and wobbled to his corner to have his mouthpiece put back in after spitting it out.

Sensing the end was near, Usyk swarmed Verhoeven with a flurry of punches while he was in the corner, though, the Dutchman tried to fight back rather than trying to hold on to survive. As the bell began to ring, referee Mark Lyson stopped the fight.

Two of the judges, Manuel Oliver Palomo and Fabian Guggenheim, had the bout 95-95, while Pasquale Procopio had Verhoeven ahead 96-94. Verhoeven would have needed a knockdown in the 12th round to score a draw.