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Watch Oleksandr Usyk train in freezing snow while being blasted by steam as he prepares for Anthony Joshua rematch

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OLEKSANDR USYK has channelled his inner Rocky by shadow boxing in the snow.

The unified heavyweight champion is currently preparing for his rematch with Anthony Joshua in his homeland of Ukraine.

Oleksandr Usyk is preparing for a spring rematch with Anthony JoshuaCredit: AFP
And the Ukrainian has been preparing for their rematch by shadow boxing in the snow
The unified heavyweight champ donned a thick jacket as he endured the snow to do his best Rocky impressionCredit: INSTAGRAM@USYKAA

But he took some time out of his regime to shadow box in the blistering cold on what appeared to be a snow-covered hill.

Usyk shared footage of himself throwing combinations in a thick jacket as a fan blew an icy storm in his face.

Slick southpaw Usyk ended Joshua’s second reign as unified heavyweight champion last September with a masterclass at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The pair’s second dance was initially slated to take place in late March but is now being targeted for April.

AJ promoter Eddie Hearn revealed this week: “I think April is realistic for that fight.

“Before you know it, it’s going to be February and these fights take a lot of organising.”

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Usyk had hoped to make the first defence of his unified titles on home soil, although his second clash with AJ is likely to place in the UK.

Hearn continued: “For us the preferred date and venue for that fight will be the UK, in which case we would have to do the fight outside, so we’re not really interested in doing that fight in March.

“AJ has been training relatively solidly since the fight.

“Realistically if you start your training camp in February, even April becomes quite tight but that is the preferred date for the fight and I think that’s realistic.”

Former undisputed cruiserweight king Usyk noticed some peculiar behaviour from Joshua when analysing him ahead of their first showdown.

He said: “I did notice that he was quite tired after the fight [in September].

“I noticed that before the first fight with Ruiz, he looked strange. But I don’t think about why it happens.

“Maybe it’s for some internal reasons. I don’t want to think about the reasons.

Oleksandr Usyk is on course to renew his rivalry with Anthony Joshua in AprilCredit: MARC ASPLAND

“The hands on the ropes, it was not quite that unusual – there might be very different reasons for that.

“I was more surprised because he was kind of distracted, chewing on the mouthguard like he was.

“That’s why I thought it was strange, but everybody behaves in their own way.”

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Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk

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