Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua Recreate Iconic 'Rocky III' Montage

Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua are hoping to recreate movie magic in the ring over the coming months.

The two heavyweights who once engaged in a blockbuster rivalry that produced two lucrative championship bouts in 2021 and 2022 are now training partners as they prepare for upcoming matchups.

Their relationship is not unlike the iconic rivalry-turned-friendship that Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed shared in the 'Rocky' franchise, which they clearly see in themselves.

Usyk and Joshua fully played into the Rocky-Creed similarities by recreating the iconic 'Rocky III' montage with the heavyweights training on the beach. Usyk, however, made it known that his story with Joshua "isn't a movie remake."

"This isn't a movie remake, it's a new story being created right now," Usyk tweeted.

This isn’t a movie remake, it’s a new story being created right now. pic.twitter.com/q1BSX1D7Qc
— Oleksandr Usyk (@usykaa) May 9, 2026

The training footage video was perfectly edited together with Bill Conti's 'Gonna Fly Now,' commonly known as the 'Rocky' theme song.

The Rocky-Creed and Usyk-Joshua comparison is not perfect, even if they share many similarities. As the active heavyweight champion, Usyk is playing into the mentorship role that Creed occupied, though Carl Weathers' character was retired in the film when he started working with Rocky.

Usyk is helping Joshua prepare for his comeback fight after a tragic loss in his personal life, much like Rocky dealt with in 'Rocky III.' Joshua is scheduled to return to the ring against Kristian Prenga in July, but the real blockbuster fight everyone is waiting for will not arrive until later in the year.

Oleksandr Usyk, Anthony Joshua prepare for blockbuster fights

Barring a generational upset loss in his tune-up fight with Prenga, Joshua will supposedly finally compete in one of the biggest heavyweight matchups in recent history. 'AJ' has reportedly signed to fight former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury in late 2026, with a date and venue to be announced soon.

Usyk will defend the WBC heavyweight title much sooner than either of Joshua's anticipated bouts. 'The Cat' will be taking on former GLORY Kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven at the Pyramids of Giza on May 23. In addition to sanctioning the matchup as a heavyweight title fight, the WBC also unveiled a special 'King of Nile' belt for the winner of the 'Glory in Giza' main event.

Despite both their loaded plates, Usyk and Joshua have stuck by each other's sides since the latter returned to training in early 2026. It remains unclear if either will be in the other's corner for any of their upcoming fights.

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