'Usyk fights like a maths teacher' says heavyweight knockout artist and sparring partner

Jurk became a viral sensation last weekend when he knocked out Edwin Castillo within seconds of the first round with a brutal left hand. 

Boasting a 14-0 record, with 12 wins coming by way of knockout, Jurk is making a name for himself in a weight division full of exciting talent. 

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"I always feel pressure"

Usyk carrying weight of the world ahead of Rico fight

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At the age of 26, Jurk has a bright future and has been getting the best possible education after featuring in three of Usyk's recent training camps as a sparring partner. 

Usyk takes on kickboxer Rico Verhoeven tonight, live on DAZN PPV and DAZN Ultimate, in a crossover fight which he is expected to win, but what is it like to train with the boxing great?

'Usyk fights like a maths teacher, he has his own mathematics in his brain'

For someone like Jurk, who has been watching Usyk from an early age, it could be easy to get starstruck by the Ukrainian. 

However, when speaking exclusively to DAZN News, Jurk stated that he goes in there to leave an impression and claims to know a lot about Usyk after admiring him from afar. 

"I don’t come in there to be a sparring partner, I come in there to give them proper rounds," Jurk said.

"If he catches me good, I don’t get scared, it’s my mentality. When I’m part of Usyk’s training team, I want him to win.

"When I was a kid, I was watching Usyk, so when we spar, I understood what he was doing because I was watching a lot of him."

Jurk then compared his fighting style to Usyk's. 

"Usyk fights like a maths teacher. He has his own mathematics happening in his brain, and I’ll fight like a chess player.

"My grandma taught me how to play chess when I was three years old, and I built up my boxing on a chess match. You can finish chess quickly, but sometimes you have to go deep, just like boxing."

Usyk sparring partner makes prediction for Verhoeven fight

When it comes to how tonight's fight between Usyk and Verhoeven will play out, Jurk is expecting the former to produce a performance similar to the one against Tony Bellew eight years ago. 

But while Jurk admits that he did not know who Verhoeven was when the contest was first announced, he states that Usyk has earned the right to fight whoever he wants. 

"It’s a smart move. Usyk is in a position where he can fight someone like Rico.

"It’s just part of the journey, but I’m being honest, I didn’t even know who Rico was.

"Usyk will win this fight the same way he beat Tony Bellew, tire him out and then take him out."

Watch Usyk vs. Verhoeven only on DAZN

Oleksandr Usyk puts his unbeaten record on the line against Rico Verhoeven this Saturday, May 23, in front of the Egyptian pyramids, live and exclusive on DAZN. Buy as a one-off PPV or included, along with Zayas vs. Ennis (June 27) and Joshua vs. Prenga (July 25) PPVs, with a DAZN Ultimate Tier subscription.

For more information, pricing and to buy, click here.