The referee at the centre of last month's controversial heavyweight clash between Oleksandr Usyk and Rico Verhoeven told a boxing commission that he had seen enough to stop the fight in the 11th round before the bell sounded.
Verhoeven, 37, appealed the result to the Middle East Professional Boxing Commission (MEPB), arguing that referee Mark Lyson had ended the contest after the official bell in Egypt and that the outcome should therefore be overturned.
In its ruling, seen by BBC Sport, the commission agreed that the stoppage occurred after the bell had sounded but concluded that it had no bearing on the final result.
The Dutchman revealed on Wednesday that his formal protest had been dismissed.
Verhoeven appeared on the verge of a major upset against boxing great Usyk before the Ukrainian mounted a dramatic late surge that sent him to the canvas.
Although Verhoeven beat the count, a flurry of punches from Usyk in the closing seconds of the round prompted referee Mark Lyson to intervene and stop the contest, a decision that many observers felt was harsh on the challenger.
Usyk was subsequently declared the winner and successfully retained his world heavyweight titles.
The MEPB stated that Lyson had acted in good faith and with "the paramount objective of boxer safety," adding that the result could only have been overturned had the referee failed to act in that manner.
