In a scene straight out of Hollywood, Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk have taken their rivalry-turned-friendship to the next level by recreating the iconic training montage from Rocky III. The video, shared by Usyk on Instagram, shows the two heavyweight champions racing along a beach to the film's legendary soundtrack, mirroring the bond between Sylvester Stallone's Rocky Balboa and Carl Weathers' Apollo Creed—who also fought twice before becoming training partners.
"This isn't a movie remake, it's a new story being created right now," Usyk wrote, capturing the spirit of their unlikely alliance. The pair, who have faced off twice in the ring with Usyk emerging victorious both times, are now pushing each other to new heights in training. The montage also features them working the heavy bag and sparring, a testament to their mutual respect and shared drive.
For Joshua, this partnership comes at a crucial time. After a tragic car crash in Nigeria last December that claimed the lives of two close friends, the British boxer has been training in Spain and Ukraine alongside his former foe. The collaboration has given him "an unbelievable lift," according to promoter Eddie Hearn, who described Joshua's grueling sessions to The Independent.
"He'd be doing tempo sprints, then go straight into a kettlebell circuit, then sledge work with a massive trainer standing on it," Hearn recalled. "When I asked how many sprints he was doing, the trainer said three—because he's just coming back. I thought that was it, but AJ ended up doing five. He joked, 'You're never coming back!'"
Joshua is set to return to the ring on July 25 against Albanian heavyweight Kristian Prenga in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The bout is expected to serve as a tune-up before a long-awaited "Battle of Britain" against Tyson Fury later this year. With Usyk in his corner—both literally and figuratively—Joshua is building momentum for what promises to be a defining chapter in his career.
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