With just days to go until Anthony Joshua’s blockbuster rematch with Oleksandr Usyk, the British heavyweight is looking sharp on the pads.
Eleven months after their first clash in London, Joshua and Usyk are just 10 days away from their highly anticipated rematch in Saudi Arabia.
The duo went head-to-head in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last September, with the Ukrainian producing a major upset to claim the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight belts.
Usyk outclassed the 32-year-old Brit over 12 rounds, with the judges scoring the bout 117–112, 116–112 and 115–113 to hand the former cruiserweight victory.
Ever since, a rematch has been on the cards, but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine led Usyk to signing up to his local militia in Kyiv. However, after being convinced to return to his training camp for the rematch, their showdown has been booked for August 20 in a fight billed the ‘Rage on the Red Sea’.
Joshua will look to reclaim the belts and become a three-time unified heavyweight champion of the world, and he’s looking in fine shape in the latest released footage of his training.
LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 29: Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua face off during the Oleksandr Usyk v Anthony Joshua 2 Press Conference on June 29, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
After cutting weight and looking to outbox Usyk in their first fight, Joshua looks to have bulked up and improved his power ahead of the rematch.
Since the loss last September, Joshua parted with long-term coach Rob McCracken and instead sided with new coach Robert Garcia. The American coach, nicknamed ‘Grandpa’ during his fighting years, has been tasked with getting Joshua prepped for the rematch in his very first camp with the fighter.
Garcia criticised AJ’s game plan in the first fight, and is keen for his new fighter to use his superior physique to beat Usyk the second time around.
"When you have somebody that's a lot smaller than you and you have the weight, height, reach and power advantages then take advantage of that," said Garcia.
"It seemed like they had a different game plan.
"I wouldn't even want to say it was a 'game plan', maybe it was just the wrong instructions. Anthony is the type of fighter who listens to his corner so he did what he was told and it was totally wrong."
By the looks of Joshua’s build in his training footage, it seems the Watford-born fighter has taken on board the advice from his new coach.