Rico Verhoeven reached out to Oleksandr Usyk with a message of support following their contentious WBC world heavyweight title fight held last Saturday in Egypt. The kickboxing champion was stopped just one second before the end of the 11th round, a decision that sparked significant debate after video replays showed that British referee Mark Lyson had halted the bout after the final bell had rung.

Despite the controversy surrounding the fight’s conclusion, Usyk, 39, sought to offer perspective after the match. He disclosed that he had received a message from his daughter, who was sheltering in a bomb shelter amid a recent large-scale Russian attack on Kyiv that resulted in four fatalities. This context appeared to overshadow the tensions of the bout.

Verhoeven, 37, said he reached out to Usyk after hearing reports about the situation involving the Ukrainian fighter’s family. “I just sent him a message because I heard something about his daughter and his family,” Verhoeven said. “So I just checked in to see if everybody was fine. And they were. So he responded to that. And he said he also hoped my family is fine.”

In addition to maintaining communication with Usyk, Verhoeven has been in contact with actor Jason Statham, who played a role in arranging the fight. The Dutch fighter described Statham as being deeply invested in the outcome, stating, “I’ve been talking to him every day. He’s going crazy. He’s been going, ‘I told the world, I told everybody that you were gonna do this, and you freaking did it! I’m so proud of you, man. You’re amazing.’”

Amid ongoing dispute over the referee’s timing of the stoppage, Verhoeven has launched an official appeal and is calling for a rematch between the two fighters.