After dominating the likes of Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk failed to do the same to Rico Verhoeven, despite having the last laugh in the match. And hence, he has already returned to the gym to work on his concentration and coordination.

On June 18, the Ukrainian heavyweight boxer shared an Instagram update displaying the method that he was using to improve his focus and concentration, as well as his foot coordination. It displayed Usyk juggling a shuttlecock with his feet inside a gym, just like soccer stars do with a soccer ball.

"Focus and concentration check," read the caption.

Usyk's method is a bit uncanny, as boxers usually don't delve into such activities to train themselves. However, given the amount of focus required to perform such juggling reps, it certainly can be called an effective one.

Given his dominance, many thought that a victory against Verhoeven, a natural kickboxer, would come easily on May 23 at the Pyramids in Giza.

However, the reality was far from what was expected. Verhoeven started the match strongly and played the aggressor in rounds 1 to 4. He landed several strong combinations, a few of which hurt Usyk visibly.

But the unified heavyweight champion displayed his class in rounds 5 to 8 and regained momentum with his effective distance management and wide range of arsenal, out of which the uppercut worked seamlessly.

Nevertheless, Verhoeven returned fire in round 9.

Well, the scorecards weren't required in the end, as 'The Cat' ended the match in the 11th round. Initially, he scored a knockdown on his rival late in the round. While Verhoeven recovered successfully, Usyk gave him no breathing time after the fight resumed and unleashed a barrage of strikes that caused the referee to end the match.

The stoppage saved Usyk from a highly precarious situation, as the judges' scorecards at the time of the TKO were razor-thin: two judges had it tied at 95-95, while the third had Verhoeven leading 96-94.

And with that, every ounce of effort that Usyk had put into his training camp for the Verhoeven fight became successful. Notably, it also comprised a focus-building activity.

Which activity helped Oleksandr Usyk sharpen his focus for the Rico Verhoeven fight?

From his years of boxing experience, Usyk is well aware of how being focused during fights is pivotal to excelling in the sport. While the aforementioned Instagram post from the Ukrainian boxer displayed his foot juggling-based focus-enhancing method, he delved into a different kind of juggling to improve his concentration for the Verhoeven fight.

On April 24, Usyk shared another Instagram post that displayed him juggling three 1kg spheres with his hands to improve his focus and hand-eye coordination. His expressions during the activity spoke volumes about how focused he had to stay to maintain his rhythm.

So, now that you know what kind of activities Usyk does to improve his concentration, what are you expecting from him next?

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Written by

Souvik Roy

Edited by

Zaid Quraishi