Anthony Joshua has resumed training with Oleksandr Usyk to continue an enemies-turned-allies partnership that Eddie Hearn believes is revitalising the British heavyweight.
The former rivals have been in camp together in Valencia for several weeks and Joshua returned to Spain after watching Tyson Fury’s points victory over Arslanbek Makhmudov from ringside at Tottenham Court Stadium on Saturday.
The Olympic gold medallist is being lined up to face Fury in November, most likely at Wembley, but would first have to negotiate a warm-up opponent in July.
It will be his first appearance since being involved in a car crash in Nigeria in November that killed two close friends and in the next fortnight he is expected to be given medical sign-off to resume full training after incurring injuries in the accident.
WBC, WBA and IBF world champion Usyk beat Joshua twice in 2021-22 but they have now joined forces, with the Ukrainian great declaring that “if we don’t help each other, we are not people, we are animals”.
Matchroom promoter Hearn said: “It just gives him an unbelievable lift. At the moment he’s very happy.
“Right now, this is really what he needs. He’s worked so hard to get himself physically ready to try and go back to full-time camp. It’s really good for him. When he’s there and he’s focused, he’s got that purpose.
“When I was there I watched a session and there were times when AJ was all out on his heart rate and Usyk was going ‘come on champ – push, push, push’.
“And I’m watching thinking this is unbelievable what I’m seeing. You’ve got pound for pound number one. You’ve got the guy who he beat twice, who’s probably the biggest star in the sport. It’s incredible and what he’s getting out of this is amazing.
“Sometimes AJ talks like he’s got another three or five years left in the sport, but you can get beat (sic) and everything changes. He’ll certainly be there for these two fights this year.”
Negotiations over the biggest fight in British boxing history are ongoing but the expectation from both camps is that it will go ahead in the autumn.
Joshua filmed Fury’s comeback against Makhmudov on his phone and will analyse the footage as he plots the downfall of his great rival.
“AJ filmed the whole thing. He wasn’t streaming it, it was being filmed from a different angle. He’s been sending me some clips and he’ll watch it over and over and over again,” Hearn said.
“The build up to the Fury fight will be incredible but the fight will be incredible as well. I’m sure it means a lot to Fury, but I know what it means to AJ. He’ll give everything in camp for that fight.”
