Whilst filming for ‘The Smashing Machine’, The Rock quickly realized how much of a ‘bad dude’ boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk is.
In just a few more days on October 3, ‘The Smashing Machine’ film is released worldwide, with combat sports fans champing at the bit to finally see the biographical sports drama.
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson will play UFC legend Mark Kerr in the film and the WWE legend explained that he opted to take on the challenge because of it being a more serious film than any others he’s starred in.
And with it being such a serious film, The Rock admitted that he was ‘really scared’ to transform into Kerr for the film because he didn’t know if he was going to be able to do him justice.
Fellow combat sports star Oleksandr Usyk also stars in the film, playing the role of legendary kickboxer Igor Novchanchyn.
The Rock details moment he realized Oleksandr Usyk is a ‘bad dude’
Usyk is widely regarded as the current pound-for-pound greatest fighter on the planet, but he was officially knocked off top spot by Terence Crawford recently following his win over Canelo Alvarez.
The Ukrainian hasn’t set foot back in the ring since July earlier this year when he knocked out Daniel Dubois in their highly anticipated rematch.
And during the filming of the movie, The Rock has detailed the moment when he realized how physically strong and imposing the boxing champion is.
“Let me tell you about Usyk, an amazing guy, a beautiful soul, beautiful stories to tell us,” The Rock told talkSPORT.
“I get in the ring with him and we didn’t cut away, which meant I had to mix it up with these guys and get my ass kicked. The first time I locked up with Usyk, I knew then, I knew when I locked up with him and felt his embrace, I knew this was a bad dude.
“Usyk can be deceptive with how he looks, but when he locks up, that deception becomes a reality. He is so fast, and you knew that if one of those punches slipped, I was going to hospital.”
Usyk continues to tease a potential fight in MMA
Following his win over Dubois earlier this year, Usyk controversially faced off with Jake Paul, and since then, there have been talks regarding a potential future fight between the two.
However, the Ukrainian wants to mix it up and fight ‘The Problem Child’ in MMA, continuing to tease a potential fight in MMA.
When Paul signed with the PFL in 2023, he agreed to fight in MMA but he has yet to back his word.