Usyk Opens Camp to Joshua Before July 25 Riyadh Bout
usyk has opened his training camp to Anthony Joshua before Joshua’s July 25, 2026 tune-up bout in Riyadh. The former rivals are working together across elite facilities in Spain and Ukraine, with Usyk sharpening Joshua’s ring IQ and helping him with boxing skills and psychology.
Joshua and Usyk in Spain
The collaboration gives Joshua access to a unified champion who has twice beaten both him and Tyson Fury. That is a rare edge for a fighter trying to reset his approach before a busy 2026 stretch, first against Kristian Prenga and then in a planned year-end clash with Fury.
Usyk’s role has gone beyond sharing the ring. He has opened the camp to Joshua and shared strategic secrets, a sign that Joshua’s preparation is being built around more than sparring rounds and conditioning work.
Riyadh on July 25, 2026
Joshua is scheduled to face Kristian Prenga in Riyadh on July 25, 2026, and the Usyk sessions are feeding directly into that assignment. The point of the work is to tighten decision-making under pressure, not just to sharpen physical form.
Usyk has pushed that message in blunt terms. He called Fury “greedy belly” in the article, while saying Joshua “deserves” the win and urging improvement in “boxing skills and psychology.”
Fury and the year-end fight
The wider frame is bigger than one tune-up. Joshua is expected to face Fury in a blockbuster year-end clash, and the article says his first fight against Fury was cost by a static, power-reliant style.
That is why the current camp matters now. Joshua has undergone a psychological and technical metamorphosis, and the work with Usyk is aimed at making that change visible when the rounds get difficult in Riyadh and, later, in the fight with Fury.
Usyk has his own assignment coming up as well, preparing for a WBC title defense against Rico Verhoeven on May 23 in Egypt. For Joshua, the immediate task is simpler: use a former rival’s insight to leave Riyadh better positioned for the heavyweight fights that follow in 2026.
