Usyk bids to put Joshua's career on ropes

Ukrainian heavyweight Oleksandr Usyk has drawn on his Cossack heritage as he prepares for his world title clash with towering Briton Anthony Joshua, whose career could face a reckoning on the Red Sea.

Usyk, roared on by millions of war-wracked Ukrainians, is the bookies' favourite for Saturday's clash in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, after he dismantled Joshua to snatch his belts in London last year.

Joshua, the 6ft 6ins (1.98m) former Olympic heavyweight champion, has recruited respected coach Robert Garcia and looks set to unleash a more aggressive style to avoid back-to-back losses.

Usyk appeared the more relaxed pre-fight, donning a Cossack costume -- complete with a traditional haircut, shaved apart from a single lock -- and singing a centuries-old resistance song with gusto from the stage in front of the world's media.

If any extra motivation were needed, Usyk spent time as a volunteer soldier fighting the Russian invasion before accepting the rematch, which will be screened free-to-air across Ukraine under a special deal.

"We learned from each other in the first fight, but this is a continuation and the first round on Saturday will be round 13," the 35-year-old said.

"We had enough time to study each other. We were born to compete for life, for belts, for everything. The one who does not compete, does not win."

Usyk's Cossack routine is not the only unconventional part of his build-up, in which he showed off his reflexes by balancing four coins on the back of his hand, throwing them in the air and catching them separately as they dropped.

The gap-toothed southpaw also went on 100-kilometre (60 miles) bike rides in 45 Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) heat, swam for up to five hours and was able to hold his breath underwater for four