With Oleksandr Usyk, Anthony Joshua has found solace in the unlikeliest place
Comment: As Usyk shows ‘AJ’ around Kyiv, three months after the deaths of two of Joshua’s close friends, their bond is a refreshing union in a time of division
As Anthony Joshua ’s heavy feet stamped over the metronomic ‘ vvvrrrrp’ of the running machine’s belt, there stood one of his greatest rivals, inches away, staring him down. “You like coconut? ” Oleksandr Usyk asked the British heavyweight, a look of anticipation in the Ukrainian’s eyes.
Then came the slightest nod from Joshua, the movement almost indistinguishable from the rhythm of his running. “Yeeeeessss, you like! ” was Usyk’s gleeful response.
“We’re now not here,” said Usyk, dressed in a yellow top and shorts and a blue bandana, the colours of his beloved country. “We’re on Miami Beach. We drink cold coconut with ice.
And music! ” Dancing and a kind of muted beatboxing ensued from Usyk, the next stage of his encouragement. He and Joshua were, of course, not on Miami Beach drinking any sort of coconut-flavoured beverage; they were in a gym in Kyiv , Ukraine , as opponents-turned-friends.
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