Rico Verhoeven ranked by WBC after Usyk Fight

Rico Verhoeven will officially receive a world ranking from the WBC following his controversial loss to Oleksandr Usyk, but a rematch will have to wait.

The WBC confirmed that interim champion Agit Kabayel remains the mandatory challenger and is expected to face Usyk later this year.

Verhoeven shocked the boxing world in Egypt after pushing Usyk to the limit in only his second professional boxing match before being stopped late in Round 11.

The ending sparked major controversy, with Verhoeven’s team appealing the stoppage and hoping for an immediate rematch.

However, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman has now made it clear that Kabayel is next in line for the heavyweight title shot.

“Agit is the WBC Interim Champion and mandatory contender for Oleksandr Usyk,” Sulaiman said.

Despite missing out on the rematch for now, Verhoeven still received major praise for his performance.

Sulaiman also confirmed the Dutch kickboxing superstar will be added to the WBC heavyweight rankings after his display against Usyk.

“He deserves to fight again for the world title,” Sulaiman added.

Verhoeven came extremely close to pulling off one of boxing’s biggest upsets before Usyk found the stoppage late in the fight.