Anthony Joshua says Oleksandr Usyk has him on track to become undisputed champ after he joined camp… and never left

ANTHONY JOSHUA reckons old nemesis Oleksandr Usyk got him back on track to become the undisputed world champion. The British heavyweight legend has fine-tuned his comeback in the Spanish camp he first shared with Usyk back in August last year. Anthony Joshua reckons Oleksandr Usyk got him back on track to become undisputed champion Credit: Instagram @usykaa Usyk twice beat Joshua Credit: PA It follows the tragic December car crash he was in that killed his two close friends. On Saturday night Joshua, 36, faces unknown Albanian Kristian Prenga, 35, in Saudi Arabia. Sign up for the Sport newsletter Thank you! It is at the same Jeddah venue where AJ broke down after his second loss to Ukrainian genius Usyk, 39, in 2022. Joshua feels that their partnership has helped him recover from the heartbreak of losing fitness coaches and close friends Latif Ayodele and Sina Ghami in an accident in the Nigerian capital of Lagos before Christmas. The Watford hulk said of his time with Usyk in Spain: “I went for two weeks and I never came back. That’s the hunger. “I have learned three elements — the physical, which can always be improved, your strength and cardio, then the mental side with psychologists. “But with Usyk, what separates him from a lot of people, you have the spiritual. “And, if you have all them in line, then you can be a very tough man to beat. Most read in Sport BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS Anthony Joshua vs Kristian Prenga - all the info Anthony Joshua faces Kristian Prenga in his huge comeback fight “Training with him isn’t about styles. I am not about to start turning southpaw. “Prayer and work ethic is what separates him — because he’s in competitive fights but he always pulls away at the end. “He always talks about discipline over motivation.” Joshua has always respected his next opponent enough not to overlook them. But with the Saudi-sponsored contract for an overdue fight with Brit rival Tyson Fury, 37, already signed, he admitted: “The focus is on Prenga but it’s also on Fury, because I want it all. The Home of Boxing in 2026 There's a massive year of boxing ahead! It’s shaping up to be a blockbuster year of action inside the boxing ring. Anthony Joshua returns to the ring in July to face Kristian Prenga ahead of a potential blockbuster bout against Tyson Fury later in the year. The Gypsy King also features in a warm-up bout the day before AJ, as he takes on Mariusz Wach in Thailand. And Moses Itauma returns for his toughest fight yet against Filip Hrgovic in August. Here’s all the big fights coming up… July Fri 24 – Tyson Fury vs Mariusz Wach Sat 25 – Anthony Joshua vs Kristian Prenga – DAZN PPV Sun 26 – Errol Spence Jr vs Tim Tszyu August Sat 1 – Pierce O’Leary vs Mark Chamberlain – DAZN Sat 15 – Claressa Shields vs Kaye Scott – DAZN Sat 29 – Moses Itauma vs Filip Hrgovic – DAZN September Sat 12 – Conor Benn vs Ryan Garcia – DAZN *If you click a link in this boxout, we will earn affiliate revenue. “It’s hard for me to see a big picture and then only zoom in on one little corner. “I have mentioned being world champion, being undisputed — Prenga, Fury, I want it all. “This is my step forward, back into the limelight and I want everything — Prenga, Fury, undisputed. “I believe I can become undisputed, I definitely still have that ambition and hunger. “And the only thing underneath that is becoming world champion, so I am definitely going to become one of them.” Fury fights a day before Joshua takes on Prenga when the Gypsy King faces Polish veteran Mariusz Wach in Pattaya, Thailand. It is his second warm-up bout after he danced around Russian giant Arslanbek Makhmudov at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in April. Fury looked lacklustre in that one-sided decision win and he is now dragging out the build-up even further by taking on punchbag Wach, 46. But Joshua warned: “I am confident in myself. “I see ways to beat Fury but I’m not banking on him being at his best or his worst. I know with the work that I am doing that I will beat Fury. “I am not worried about his performance at Tottenham or how many warm-up fights he’s having or how he’s looking. “I am confident in knowing what I am going to do to him.” Comment now