World heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk swapped his boxing gloves for football boots this week after announcing that he will play in a friendly match for Ukrainian club FC Polissya.The 35-year-old was seen training with the side, who play in the Ukrainian First League Persha Liha, which is the second tier of Ukrainian football, ahead of their upcoming game on Thursday.Video footage from the session showed Usyk being put through his paces as he completed a series of drills, which included some ladder work, dribbling in and out of cones and some heading practice.The Cat can also be seen participating in a light run, doing some keep ups and pitting his skills against the pros in a training match.FC Polissya are currently on winter break, with their league season due to get back underway in March.Their director Volodymyr Zagursky spoke to Ukrainian news site The Times Hub earlier this week about Usyk’s chances of making the side.“If Usyk strengthens our team, we will offer a professional contract,” he said. “If not, we will just give a chance to try his hand at football. What will Usyk's participation in the tournament look like?

“These moments are kept secret. Watch the tournament and you will see everything.”

While the likelihood of a professional football career is apparently performance dependant, Usyk is set to return to the boxing ring later this year in a hotly anticipated rematch with Anthony Joshua.

He got the better of the Brit when the pair met at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium back in September and will be hoping for another victory this time around.

Joshua, meanwhile, is set to reveal a new trainer ahead of his training camp after splitting from Rob McCracken following the second defeat of his career.

Should Usyk win the fight, which is expected to take place in either March or April of this year, he will likely take on the winner of Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte's WBC title clash. The resulting bout would, in turn, crown the first undisputed heavyweight king in over two decades.

Quite how Usyk would succeed in becoming just the second fighter ever to become an undisputed champion at both cruiserweight and heavyweight, after Evander Holyfield, while also playing professional football, remains to be seen.

For now, though, the champ appears to be enjoying himself while also staying in tip top condition.