Terence Crawford has considered whether the weight of expectation could play a factor in Oleksandr Usyk’s performance against Rico Verhoeven.
The pair will collide at Egypt’s Pyramids of Giza later today, with many expecting Usyk to defend his WBC world heavyweight title in dominant fashion.
This is because he is facing a man who, while an accomplished kickboxer, has only ever had one professional boxing match, against an opponent who retired with an 0-6 record in 2014.
Usyk, on the other hand, is still widely regarded as boxing’s flagship pound-for-pound star, having cemented his legacy as a three-time, two-division undisputed champion.
He did so by mopping up the cruiserweight scene, beating the likes of Mairis Briedis and Murat Gassiev, before going on to secure two heavyweight victories over Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois, respectively.
Even before turning professional, Usyk cultivated one of the most revered careers in amateur boxing, culminating in his gold medal triumph at the 2012 Olympics.
But despite being known for his success against mostly world-class opposition, the Ukrainian is now gearing up to face an opponent whose boxing credentials pale in comparison.
It could therefore be said that he is under a certain degree of pressure, expected to handle the task at hand with relative ease.
Crawford, however, has told Ring Magazine that this pressure is something Usyk has experienced often enough, making him almost bulletproof as he steps into the ring with Verhoeven.
“I think he’s going to go out there and do whatever he wants to do. I think Rico’s going to be tough at first but I think Usyk, with his experience – he’s going to figure him out fairly early.
“He’s used to the pressure. Usyk’s had a lot of pressure on him since winning [gold at] the Olympics.”
While Usyk is defending his WBC title against Verhoeven, his IBF and WBA titles are not up for grabs. A loss, however, would mean that he is stripped of both belts.
