After conquering Tyson Fury twice, the undisputed heavyweight champion, Oleksandr Usyk, has set his eyes on his upcoming boxing match against Rico Verhoeven, scheduled for May 23. And he is preparing himself with a unique drill: juggling.

On April 24, the Ukrainian professional boxer shared an Instagram reel that featured his unique training method. It displayed the Ukrainian boxer juggling three bright blue balls. He also juggled them from under his legs a few times.

However, in addition to making Usyk look funky, his juggling also helped with his training. The caption to his post read, “Training…. Even when I'm juggling.”

As juggling requires strict focusing, the activity is expected to help Usyk concentrate better inside the ring. Additionally, the 1kg weight of each ball ensures that his hands receive some training by constantly throwing one of them in the air.

However, Usyk has always believed in smart training, and the evidence is clear in his Instagram posts. For instance, on April 20, he was seen training through dancing.

In an August 17, 2025, Instagram post by Fight Genius, Usyk stressed the need to train smart, saying, “Many people don't do a lot of smart work. Just sparring, just back and go home. Not healthy food, not stretching, not recovery.”

Talking about the motive behind his smart training, the champion added, “Just training, training, training. It's bad. It's maybe two or three years enough. After the final of my career, I want to live. Live and happy.”

But while Usyk includes unique activities like juggling and dancing in his training sessions, he never ignores the traditional boxing workouts that play the biggest role in his performance. Here's a look at their specifications.

High volume sparing

According to Sergey Lapin, Usyk’s team manager, the champion can complete 250 rounds of sparring in every training camp. Nearly 60 percent of Usyk’s training is focused on sparring.

Unique power training

The mixing legend trains using unique approaches such as: band-assisted push-ups, medicine ball workouts, and kettlebell drags to build functional power.

Core-focused movements

To build a strong core, he focuses on:

• Sit-ups with a medicine ball
• Bottom-up with kettlebells.

It also helps him strengthen his shoulder joint.

Cardio

He finishes his cardio in the morning, which includes:

• Running
• Tennis
• Swimming.

Mental training

For healthy cognitive function, which is required in the boxing profession, Usyk trusts his physiologist, Jakub Chycki.

Under his guidance, Usyk follows movements like:

• Solving schulte table
• Hand-eye coordination drill
• Memory exercises are often on air bikes.

For the upcoming fight, Usyk is following a strategic and smart training regimen.

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Written by

Supradeep Dutta

Edited by

Souvik Roy