“Kabayel is the mandatory contender to Usyk’s belt. Rico is going to get ranked by the WBC, for sure. And he deserves to fight again for the WBC world title,” Sulaiman
Verhoeven entered the fight widely dismissed as an unworthy challenger, with his only other professional boxing appearance coming in 2014 — a second-round stoppage. And yet, the Dutch kickboxer delivered a competitive performance before being stopped in the eleventh round, with referee Mark Lyson waving off the contest moments after Verhoeven survived a knockdown, and as the bell sounded simultaneously.
Lyson has since revealed he did not hear the bell when he intervened, while Verhoeven’s team have announced plans to lodge a formal appeal. However, Sulaiman’s comments effectively end any prospect of an immediate rematch taking priority over Kabayel’s mandatory shot.