The secret behind Oleksandr Usyk‘s relentless preparations for Daniel Dubois isn’t a new training technique or mystery diet, it’s a smartphone app he helped create.
In a quiet corner of the Ukrainian’s camp, Kirill Korobka – RTF’s and Team Usyk Executive Director listed among 30 the most influential people in boxing under the age of 30 – explained how Ready to Fight, the app co-founded by the heavyweight world champion himself, has transformed their preparation process.
‘Is not just app,’ he says, ‘it is full ecosystem. You need sparring? You find sparring. You need coach, psychologist, anything, we use it all.’
Launched in November 2023 as a boxing social platform, aimed at connecting fighters with sparring partners, coaches, managers and fans, now Ready to Fight is more than a matchmaking tool.
This is the first boxing-related tech company that helps raise talents and develops a range of digital products — including boxing analytics, a payment system, a ticketing service, and a merchandise marketplace. But for Team Usyk, its real value has been proven behind closed gym doors as they prepare for their July 19 bout with Dubois.
‘Before, Sergey would spend weeks looking for the right sparring partners,’ Kirill explained. ‘Now, two clicks. We see profile, weight, style, experience. We talk directly to them. For Dubois, we needed someone tall, strong, explosive. From the app, we’ve brought guys in from all around the world.’
The secret behind Oleksandr Usyk’s relentless preparations for Daniel Dubois isn’t a new training technique or mystery diet, it’s something completely different
Usyk and Dubois will go toe-to-toe for a second time on July 19 at Wembley Stadium
Usyk is looking to become the undisputed heavyweight champion for a second time
‘It’s simple really. All the sparring partners had to do was create a profile, upload their information as well as sparring footage and clips from their fights.
‘Then you just apply to ads that have been put out. So, they see ‘Oleksandr Usyk needs sparring’. They apply and then Sergey will review the application and if they satisfy the criteria they will be invited into camp.’
Usyk’s team previously told Mail Sport that they had used the app in the build-up to his fights with Tyson Fury – sparring 15 rounds of three-and-a-half minutes with 20 seconds’ rest, accumulating more than 250 rounds during camp.
However, Usyk preparations for his undisputed heavyweight title fight against Dubois, it’s not just sparring or roadwork fuelling his preparations.
Analysts are breaking down every movement, mistake and moment from Dubois’s past fights and even Usyk’s own.
‘We have more than 10 people in the analytics department and more than 80 in the whole company ,’ Kirill explains. ‘What we are doing, it’s not only for professional teams like ours, but also for fans. But let’s focus on your question.’
That question, how exactly does one of boxing’s most cerebral fighters use data to prepare, leads straight to the heart of what makes Usyk different.
Kirill Korobka – RTF’s and Team Usyk Executive Director listed among 30 the most influential people in boxing under the age of 30 – pictured above
‘We are analysing all fights, the latest fights of Daniel Dubois,’ Kirill continues. ‘We are analysing all mistakes made from both sides. Yes, from Usyk’s side, from Dubois’ side. We are analysing also the first fight.’
What follows is a process rarely seen in boxing, one that brings together coaches, athletes, scientists and judges to dissect every detail and build a plan.
‘Thanks to it, our team of judges, of coaches, of athletes, of scientists analyse the fight and then, based on these numbers and on this information, we build a proper tactic for his next fight.’
It’s not just theory. It’s numbers. It’s movement patterns, punch sequences, defensive gaps, pace. All collected, compared and delivered to a fighter who knows how to read them.
‘Usyk likes it,’ Kirill says. ‘He trusts this data, and he understands that it’s made by professionals—and these professionals are his team. It’s very important. He knows everyone.’
For Usyk, prep for his third undisputed title fight isn’t just about experience. It’s about using science to refine strategy. And trusting a system that has been built, tested and perfected by the people closest to him.