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Boxing
'These guys are like Apollo and Rocky' - How Oleksandr Usyk is improving Anthony Joshua
Usyk vs. Verhoeven: Only on DAZN PPV - Saturday
Unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk is having a major positive effect on former rival Anthony Joshua, according to the latter's promoter, Eddie Hearn.
Usyk and his team recently became a part of Joshua's training team, and helped him prepare for December's win over Jake Paul.
Shortly after this victory, Joshua was involved in a tragic car accident, which saw him lose two of his closest friends.
"I always feel pressure"
Usyk carrying weight of the world ahead of Rico fight
Now Usyk and his coaches are preparing Joshua for a return on July 25, live on DAZN, when he takes on Albania's Kristian Prenga in Riyadh.
But first, Usyk must successfully navigate Saturday night's meeting with kickboxing star Rico Verhoeven, in front of the Pyramids of Giza, on DAZN PPV and DAZN Ultimate, before turning his attention to helping 'AJ'.
'They believe Joshua can be heavyweight champion again'
Hearn is the promoter of Saturday's event in Egypt, and while he will be hoping for Usyk to deliver another spellbinding performance, he will be more concerned about the Ukrainian helping Joshua return to the summit of the heavyweight division.
The chemistry between Usyk and Joshua is blooming with the former posting a video of them both running across a beach to the iconic Rocky theme, something clearly inspired by the iconic film characters Rocky and Apollo Creed turning into close friends after fighting twice prior.
This is a comparison is one which Hearn immediately referenced when speaking to DAZN about how Usyk and his coaches are building Joshua's confidence before one last charge.
"These guys are like Apollo and Rocky, they are bringing each other on," Hearn said.
"The belief that Usyk and the team have in terms of what Anthony can still do in the sport has to be so good for the confidence building of Anthony Joshua.
"These guys are not idiots, they are boxing experts. They’ve seen Joshua’s work up close, they’ve shared the ring with him, they’ve seen his physicality, and they believe he can be world heavyweight champion again.
"Being around greatness like that is incredibly inspiring and I see AJ raising the bar in training camp and taking it to another level. He’s happy in that camp, he’s motivated, and he’s ready to fight."
Watch Usyk vs. Verhoeven only on DAZN
Oleksandr Usyk puts his unbeaten record on the line against Rico Verhoeven on Saturday, May 23, in front of the Egyptian pyramids, live and exclusive on DAZN. Buy as a one-off PPV or included, along with Zayas vs. Ennis (June 27) PPV, with a DAZN Ultimate Tier subscription.
