Oleksandr Usyk says a conversation he has had with Anthony Joshua since the Brit survived a fatal car crash in Nigeria has convinced him that his heavyweight rival has "a desire to continue" fighting.
Joshua's close friends and team members, Sina Ghami and Latif "Latz" Ayodele, died last month in the crash. Joshua was also in the car and required hospital treatment for minor injuries before returning to the UK.
The incident came little more than a week after Joshua had beaten Jake Paul in Miami, and it remains to be seen whether the 36-year-old will want to continue his professional career.
Usyk beat Joshua in heavyweight title fights in 2021 and 2022, but the pair appear to have developed a strong mutual respect, which saw the Brit train with the Ukrainian's camp earlier this year.
"I've already spoken with him," Usyk said in an interview with . "I heard a desire to continue in his voice - for the friends he lost and for the chance to live that the Lord gave him.
"Once I spoke with the mother of my fallen comrade, and she told me: 'Oleksandr, he would be very proud that you are continuing your work; he will watch you from heaven.'
"And he, I think, does that. And not just him, but all my loved ones who passed away defending our country. They are my guardian angels who help me in the ring."
Three of Usyk's 24 professional fights have taken place on US soil, but the Ukrainian still harbours ambitions of returning to America to compete again.
As for his next opponent, after victories over Fury and Joshua, Usyk now has his sights set on Deontay Wilder as he looks to complete a full set of wins over the era's leading heavyweights.
"First of all, it's the USA - I want to box in America," he added. "Secondly, Wilder has been at the top for the last 10 years.
"This is about sporting interest. In the "big three," there were Joshua, Fury, and Wilder. I beat Joshua twice, I beat Fury twice, and one unbeaten one remains - Wilder."
