Oleksandr Usyk to play for professional football team ahead of Anthony Joshua rematch

dailystar.co.uk:

Anthony Joshua this Thursday when the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight champion plays for a professional football team.Usyk, 35, stunned the boxing world at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in September when he outclassed Joshua over 12 rounds to take a unanimous points win.The result scuppered any hopes British fans had of seeing a long-anticipated unification bout between Tyson Fury and Joshua in early 2022, but 'AJ' promptly signalled his intention for revenge by triggering his clause for a return bout.Instead, Joshua is set to face the Ukrainian in the Spring, with Fury instead preparing to put his WBC crown on the line against Dillian Whyte.As negotiations run on, Usyk is staying in shape, although not quite in the manner many fans would expect him too.However, the notion of a second clash came under serious threat last month when Fury's team offered the 32-year-old a sum in the region of £15 million to step aside and let 'The Gypsy King' take on Usyk, a proposition he duly turned down.The decision from AJ has left Fury seething, and Usyk will have to wait that little bit longer to fight for the undisputed heavyweight crown.Would you play Oleksandr Usyk as a central striker or midfield enforcer?

Let us know in the comments section.He announced that on Thursday he will line-up for Ukrainian second tier outfit FC Polissya as part of the team's winter training camp, having already trained with Yurij Kalitvintsev's side.A video clip posted by the club's Twitter account shows Usyk changing with his team-mates before participating in a team run, doing 'keepy-uppies' and dribbling drills, leaping high to practice his headers and trying to go through on goal during a condensed practice match.Boxing fans reacted.