Following his second defeat to the masterful Ukrainian in 2022, few would have anticipated Anthony Joshua linking up with Oleksandr Usyk in any training capacity.
Such is the nature of this unpredictable sport, though, as by that same token, who could have guessed that Derek Chisora and David Haye - two bitter rivals - would join forces several years after their grudge heavyweight encounter in 2012?
Granted, Joshua and Usyk never engaged in a hot-tempered scuffle at any press conferences, nor needed to be separated by steel while conducting a face-to-face.
But still, it could hardly be said that the pair had anything more than a degree of respect for each other, which is only natural after sharing 24 rounds with another man.
Since their first fight, which he lost by unanimous decision, Joshua has worked with esteemed trainers Robert Garcia, Derrick James and Ben Davison, but clearly felt as though he was still lacking in certain departments.
Perhaps it was the manner in which he lost to Usyk, who produced tactically-superb performances on both occasions, that inspired ‘AJ’ to seek a new set of eyes.
- Oscar Pick
In any case, the two-time world champion, who has always craved perfection, felt another change of environment would allow him to become a more complete fighter, or at least quench his curiosity to some extent.
The 36-year-old therefore relocated to Spain ahead of his last outing, a sixth-round finish over Jake Paul in December, which offered no real evidence of the improvements he claims to have made.
It was, of course, a bizarre encounter that would have ended in humiliation if he had made any glaring mistakes, or taken too many risks, and walked on to a meme-worthy shot from the YouTuber-turned-boxer.
As it happened, Joshua took his time, not taking any bait, and eventually orchestrated an emphatic stoppage.
The only way we will see the value of his work with Team Usyk is if the Londoner faces a more credible opponent in his next assignment.
But even then, how likely is it that Joshua has all of a sudden become a technical magician, capable of exploiting angles and controlling the distance with his lead hand?
It has been previously argued that Joshua should not even attempt to grapple with such nuances, but instead focus purely on his destructive power and physical strength.
Those two attributes were, after all, what allowed him to craft his identity as a formidable puncher, and by getting bogged down with the technical side of his sport, many have suggested that ‘AJ’ has taken emphasis away from his key advantages.
This might be true to some degree, but it is difficult to see Joshua’s link-up with Team Usyk having such a detrimental effect.
If anything, a willingness to learn new tricks at this stage of his career, when his physical attributes might be diminishing, should allow him to at least add a few extra strings to his bow.
