A strangely emotional Usyk broke his current cool, calm and collected mentality that he has in boxing this week.
As he gets ready for a very easy fight too that no one called for. Not one boxing fan asked for him to fight a kickboxing champion called Rico.
So why he is emotional in training is even more unusual. He is acting different recently but why? He almost seems scared recently in his training. Very strange.
Here are 10 reasons why that might’ve happened in the run-up to fighting “The King of Kickboxing”:
Physical/Performance Reasons
- Maxing out for power
Verhoeven is a 6’5″, 260lb natural heavyweight with a 20kg+ weight advantage. Usyk’s team has likely programmed heavier strength work than usual to handle Rico’s size. A scream = CNS activation for a PR lift. - Breaking through a plateau
Usyk is 39 and hasn’t fought since July 2025. Camps get stale. An emotional release can happen when you finally smash a lift you’ve been stuck on for weeks. - Pain management/grinding through injury
Heavyweights accumulate damage. Usyk’s 24-0 with 206 pro rounds. A scream could be pushing through a nagging shoulder, back, or hand issue to stay on schedule.
Mental/Psychological Reasons
- Channeling criticism of the fight
Usyk’s taken heat for fighting a kickboxer with 1 pro boxing bout. He said “One time I want to do what I want, not what I need”. The scream could be defiance — proving he’s still all-in despite doubters. - Pressure of the “crossover spectacle”
This is WBC title at the Pyramids, “Glory in Giza”. Legacy, spectacle, and representing boxing vs kickboxing. That’s heavy mental weight. Screaming = releasing it. - Fear/Respect for Verhoeven’s power
Rico said “when I land my best punch on him, of course, he will go down”. Usyk knows this is “a dangerous guy”. The scream could be psyching himself up for the danger. - Honoring Ukraine & the war
Usyk’s emotions often tie to the war. A May fight means a long camp away from family. Screaming in training can be catharsis — carrying that weight into every rep.
Tactical/Emotional Camp Reasons
- Mimicking fight adrenaline
Verhoeven is 12 years undisputed in Glory. Usyk’s camp may be using emotional lifts to simulate the chaos of getting hit by a much bigger man. Train the scream, train the response. - Team-driven motivation
Usyk’s camps are notoriously intense and theatrical. If coaches were yelling “this is for Rico!” during a lift, Usyk screaming back is him buying in 100%. It builds camp energy. - Sheer frustration with style matchup
Usyk said “this is boxing – a different game, with its own rules”. Preparing for a non-boxer means awkward sparring, weird angles. The scream could be venting frustration at having to solve a puzzle he didn’t ask for.
Let’s see how he gets on.
Who knows what will happen to him.
He should win the fight easy but the opponent choice is truly shocking for the current heavyweight champion and pound for pound champion.
