Anthony Joshua has resumed training with former heavyweight rival Oleksandr Usyk as he continues preparations for a return to the ring that could culminate in a 'Battle of Britain' bout against Tyson Fury later this year.
Joshua and Usyk have been in camp together in Valencia for several weeks. Joshua returned to Spain after watching fellow former world heavyweight champion Fury's unanimous points victory over Arslanbek Makhmudov from ringside at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday.
Olympic gold-medallist Joshua, 36, is being lined up to face Fury in November, possibly at Wembley, but would most likely have to overcome a warm-up opponent beforehand.
Joshua's next fight will mark the first time he has been back in the ring since being involved in a car crash in Nigeria in November that killed two close friends. He now hopes to receive medical clearance in the next fortnight to resume full training after suffering injuries in the accident.
World Boxing Council, World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation world champion Usyk beat Joshua twice in 2021 and 2022, but they have now joined forces, with the Ukrainian insisting "if we don't help each other, we are not people, we are animals".
"It just gives him an unbelievable lift. At the moment he's very happy," Eddie Hearn, Joshua's promoter, said on Thursday.
"Right now, this is really what he needs. He's worked so hard to get himself physically ready to try and go back to fulltime 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 No 1. 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."
Joshua filmed Fury's comeback against Makhmudov on his phone and, according to Hearn, is studying the footage in great detail.
"AJ filmed the whole thing," said Hearn. "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.
"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."