Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk have paid homage to the celebrated Rocky III training montage, as their unlikely partnership continues to blossom. The former rivals, who have fought twice in the ring with Usyk winning both bouts, are now training together ahead of their respective upcoming fights.
Usyk posted a video on Instagram on Saturday showing the pair racing on a beach to the Rocky theme music, recreating the iconic scene between Sylvester Stallone's Rocky Balboa and Carl Weathers' Apollo Creed. The tribute is particularly poignant, as the film characters also boxed each other twice before becoming training partners and close friends. "This isn't a movie remake, it's a new story being created right now," Usyk wrote in the caption.
The video also features the duo punching a heavy bag and interacting as they prepare for imminent fights. Joshua is set to return to the ring against Kristian Prenga on 25 July in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The bout against the Albanian heavyweight is expected to be a tune-up before Joshua takes on Tyson Fury in a long-awaited 'Battle of Britain' later this year.
According to Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn, the joint training has given Joshua "an unbelievable lift." Hearn described Joshua's intense training regimen, including tempo sprints, kettle-bell circuits, and sledge work with a large fitness trainer standing on the sledge. "When he started, I went to the guy: 'How many are you doing?' He went, 'Three, because he's just coming back to training.' I went, 'Three, is that all?' ... He went: 'Okay, we'll do five.' AJ went: 'F***, mate, you're never coming back!" Hearn recounted.
Usyk, the two-time undisputed world heavyweight champion, is set to defend his WBC title against renowned kickboxer Rico Verhoeven in Egypt in a fortnight.
