At the weekend, Rico Verhoeven came extremely close to a win that would have rocked the world of boxing; a win which he was controversially denied by referee, Mark Lyson, who stopped the contest after the bell that signified the end of round 11. Now, the reasoning behind Lyson’s decision has been voiced.

Rico Verhoeven almost became this generation’s Buster Douglas, as his unconventional style caused problems for the well-schooled and dominant heavyweight world champion, Oleksandr Usyk, who narrowly avoided a shocking first professional defeat.

However, at the end of round 11 having had his man on the canvas, Usyk threw a flurry that caused Lyson to intervene, despite the stoppage coming after the bell had rang. As a result, many boxing fans have fumed at the move and Verhoeven is set to lodge an appeal.

Although, speaking to iFL TV, Verhoeven’s trainer, Peter Fury, seemed to sympathise with Lyson, sharing details of their post-fight conversation, where the referee admitted he did not hear the bell.

“He said to me, which is very important, he said, ’Peter, I didn’t hear the bell’. Now, that I believe because I didn’t hear the bell either, I didn’t hear the bell! I thought it was [rang] like two seconds before, because I am only going off what people are telling me around the ring, I was more focussed on the fight itself.”

“I think that he realised that he made a mistake. He said, ‘I done what I thought I had to do, he [Verhoeven] was shaky and I had to protect the fighter, but I didn’t hear the bell’.”

It remains to be seen whether Verhoeven will be granted a rematch, but Usyk now looks likely to face WBC mandatory challenger Agit Kabayel next.