RICO VERHOEVEN has demanded an apology from the official and comission following his controversial stoppage loss to Oleksandr Usyk.

The kickboxing great crossed over to the boxing ring to challenge for Usyk’s WBC heavyweight world title last Saturday in Egypt.

But it ended contentiously after British referee Mark Lyson stopped the contest – which Verhoeven was leading on one judge’s scorecard – in the last SECOND of the 11th round.

And there was further outrage when replays appeared to reveal Lyson had actually halted the contest AFTER the bell had gone.

Verhoeven has launched an appeal with the Middle Eastern boxing commission – but does not expect an overturned result.

Instead, he told SunSport: “All I’m looking for is actually just like like an apology.

“Like, ‘Ah yeah, we could have done better. That’s it. That’s what the appeal is about. Because I know I’m not going to get the win or whatever.

“So, just like, ‘We could have done better. So, we’re sorry.’ And yeah, let’s continue from there.

“Let’s go to the rematch because that’s what the people want to see.”

Verhoeven, 37, was dropped with a right uppercut in round 11 by Usyk, 39, which saw his gum shield punched out.

Lyson stopped the action to clean his mouthguard and resumed the bout with just ten seconds to go, officially ending the fight with 2.59 on the clock.

Usyk faced off his with WBC mandatory challenger Agit Kabayel, 33, in the aftermath.

But Verhoeven is confident the Ukrainian WILL want a rematch amid the controversy.

The Dutchman said: “That’s the athlete and that’s the sportsman he is.

“He wants to show every time that he’s the best and he’s that he’s so much better than all the rest.

“So I definitely feel like within him there is like this urge to show that because for the rest I was totally in this fight.

“I just got hit with one uppercut. And of course that is possible but I was still in the fight.

“It’s not that I was out or all over the place. No, I was still there.”