The all-time-great Ukrainian, a three-time undisputed champion across two weight classes, is set to take on kickboxing icon Rico Verhoeven in Giza, Egypt on Saturday night.

Given he turns 40 in January and has had 13 world title fights duing a career that started in 2013, there could be some expectation of a decline in his performance, but Usyk (24-0, 15 KOs) actually appears to be getting better with age. Viktor Jurk, an undefeated heavyweight who is a regular sparring partner in the champion’s camp, has explained why Usyk has been able to improve when most others would decline.

“Just think about it,” Jurk told The Ring. “He has earned so much money that he has the ability to invest in his team and his training camp properly. He has a huge team behind him. Take me for example, I have a team, but they all still have regular 9-5 jobs, we do the best we can and that is like most other fighters.

“But imagine you can pay everyone proper money. Their only job is to make sure you train, you have food, you worry about nothing, you just go. People are working for you, not working for a company because you are the company. Look at LeBron James and why he is still able to play in the NBA. How? Because he puts $1 million into his preparation every year. Usyk is just like that.”

James, 41, is considered arguably the greatest player the NBA has ever seen and it is his longevity that sets him apart from the league’s other icons. He has played a record 23 seasons and became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer in 2023. As if to highlight just how long James has been going, he has played against approximately 36.4 percent of all players in NBA history.

His longevity is driven by a huge investment in a state-of-the-art recovery routine, which includes ice baths, hyperbaric chambers and yoga.

Germany’s Jurk (14-0, 12 KOs), who was a main sparring partner for Usyk’s back-to-back victories over Tyson Fury, added, “Usyk is in a position where he has like 10 guys in camp and everyone has a job – one is cooking food, one is wrapping his hands, one is the physio, one is this, one is that. Then Sergey [Lapin] is the head of it all.

“Usyk is not a guy who cares about driving Ferraris. He’s an athlete who just wants to get better. That’s why, with big money you can keep improving. When you’re young maybe you improve your strength and skills as you grow, but the big money is why he probably still improves now. He has this money so he can invest in himself.”

Verhoeven is a huge underdog for the clash at the Pyramids of Giza on Saturday night and for good reason. Despite his dominance in his own field, the Dutchman’s last boxing match took place 12 years ago.

Jurk does not see the Ring, WBA, WBC and IBF heavyweight champion taking his eye off the ball. Instead, he anticipates a brutal knockout akin to Anthony Joshua’s over Francis Ngannou or Usyk’s own chilling dismissal of Tony Bellew in 2018.

“This is a different sport to kickboxing,” Jurk said. “Maybe Verhoeven has some power, but so did Ngannou. He was a strong man, but AJ was a strong man who understands how to box. Look what happened there. I think Usyk should win in the first couple of rounds. Maybe it will go a few more rounds, but it will end when Usyk wants it to.

“I think he will knock him out properly, like the way he knocked out Tony Bellew. He will tire him out, then catch him. I don’t see him overlooking this fight because he has too much to lose. There is talk about a third fight with Fury and that’s a nine-figure fight again. That’s a huge thing for him, so he cannot afford to lose this one.”

Subscribers to DAZN’s Ultimate plan, which costs $49.99 per month in the United States and £24.99 in the United Kingdom, can watch the four-fight Usyk-Verhoeven event for no additional charge. It is also available via pay-per-view in the U.S. ($59.99) and UK (£24.99) for non-subscribers.

The pay-per-view portion of this Ring card is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. BST (2 p.m. ET).