Oleksandr Usyk showed no sign of nerves as he performed a coin trick after working out for his rematch with Anthony Joshua.
Heavyweight world champion Usyk will put his three belts on the line in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night, 11 months after dethroning Joshua in London. The second instalment has long been delayed due to the war in Ukraine but Usyk looked more than ready during his workout in Jeddah.
He declined to do any pad work in the ring, instead opting to shadow box before pulling out a handful of coins. He placed two on his hand and arm, flicked them up and caught them effortlessly. He did the same on his first attempt with three coins before dropping one on his second effort. Undeterred, the former cruiserweight world champion attempted to catch four - and succeeded first time.
After delighting the crowd, Usyk gave little away in an interview, saying simply: "I'm very pleased that I'm going to fight really soon and I feel happy about that." Usyk also offered no response to a question about his weight as speculation grows that he has bulked up ahead of his second clash with Joshua.
Usyk out-boxed the Brit at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last autumn and almost stopped Joshua in the final round. And after Amir Khan claimed the Ukrainian had added two stone to his frame, pundits have predicted the champion will go for an early knockout.
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Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn, however, expects his man to finish the fight within six rounds. "Part of this weight increase, if there is one, is about not being out-muscle," he added. "I don't think he wants to be put on the back foot and put under pressure.
"He's thinking he doesn't want to be backed up to the ropes against this monster, I genuinely think that could be a tactic. This week is desperation to win (for us); it's smash-and-grab, go in there and steamroll this man, get all the belts and we'll jump around like clowns."
