Tom Aspinall blasts referee in Rico Verhoeven's controversial loss to Oleksandr Usyk

Tom Aspinall is one of several figures in the combat sports world to target the referee who officiated the Oleksandr Usyk vs. Rico Verhoeven boxing match. The bout received a tremendous amount of criticism from fans and fighters alike, with many accusing the referee of being a bribed official for potentially robbing Verhoeven of a championship boxing win. Among the critics of the bout's outcome was the UFC heavyweight champion himself, who shared his reaction in a video uploaded to his official YouTube channel.

Tom Aspinall expresses his disbelief over Rico Verhoeven's boxing loss

Tom Aspinall and Rico Verhoeven are not only friends, but have even trained together, so it stands to reason that Aspinall was invested in the latter's career. This past Saturday, the Dutch kickboxing legend had what was arguably the tallest test of his combat sports life, when he faced Oleksandr Usyk, one of boxing's greatest contemporary heavyweights, for the WBC heavyweight title. In a showing that surprised many, Verhoeven frustrated Usyk with his unorthodox movement, all while landing crisp shots of his own. His success was such that by round 11 of the bout, many had Verhoeven ahead of Usyk on the scorecards. 

So, when Verhoeven was dropped by an Usyk uppercut and then swarmed with combinations right as round 11 ended, no one expected the referee to step in and immediately wave the fight off. Yet, the referee did just that, leaving the combat sports world in disbelief, including Aspinall, who said the following (8:41):

"No, f***ing way. For a world title fight, he's stopped it? With about five or six unanswered shots? What? Mate, what the f***ing hell is that? What a robbery. What a fix that is. That is f***ing outrageous. Mate, two weeks ago or whatever it was, we were at Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois ringside. Mate, that happened probably ten times . Sent Fabio Wardlely out there, big swollen eye on one side, nose squashed, big swelling on his forehead. Been dropped five times in the fight, send him out for another round. Stopped it about three rounds too late. Rico gets stumbled to his knee, they let him up with ten seconds left, he lands a few unanswered shots and they don't even let him make it to the end of the round? It's a f***ing robbery. What the f**k is that? F***ing boxing don't want anyone else to win."

Aspinall's frustrations were echoed by others, including Francis Ngannou, who was once on the losing end of his own controversial boxing match when he lost to Tyson Fury via split-decision.