"Animal. Beast. Class" - Fans offer mixed reactions to Oleksandr Usyk's ripped physique ahead of Anthony Joshua rematch

Usyk v Joshua 2 Press Conference [courtesy of Getty]

With 12 days to go until the second showdown between Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua, the former has shown off the tip-top shape he is in.

In a short clip posted to Twitter, Usyk can be seen shadow-boxing, and working slips and dips. The champion seems to have added a lot more muscle to his physique, which has peaked fans' interest.

On the way!#UsykJoshua2 #SaudiArabia https://t.co/YvRY2Qcf62

One responded to the tweet:

"Animal. Beast. Class. You're a top fighter, man, and a great human being. #inthebag."

Another wrote:

"Usyk is looking massive, bad times for AJ."

Other fans think that perhaps the added weight might slow him down and work against him as the two get into the deep water rounds of the match.

"How's being bigger a problem for Joshua? Might slow Usyk down or make him gas quicker."

The heavyweight rematch for the WBO, IBF, and IBO belts takes place on Saturday, August 20 in Jeddah, Saudia Arabia. Oleksandr Usyk was granted permission to leave the conflict in Ukraine to fight 'AJ' and has since stated that the fight will be free to watch for everyone in his war-torn country.

See the fans' reactions here:

@usykaa Animal. Beast. Class. You’re a top fighter man, and a great human. #inthebag

@usykaa @AJ89_kro Usyk is looking massive, bad times for AJ.

@KeepRightOn1990 @usykaa @AJ89_kro How's being bigger a problem for joshua, might slow usyk down or make him gas quicker

Bob Arum on potential Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk fight

In an interview on Barbershop Conversations, Bob Arum discussed targeting Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk for December, should Usyk win against 'AJ' in their rematch.

When asked what's next for Tyson Fury, Arum stated:

"I'll let you know in a few weeks when the Joshua fight takes place. I'm hoping that Usyk wins because I've talked with his people and I think they would be anxious to fight Tyson Fury. I would hope to do that fight in December, maybe, or early next year."

Since claiming to be retired back in April following his devastating knockout of Dillian Whyte, Tyson Fury has stated that he plans to only do exhibition bouts here and there, but a full return to the ring would cost a pretty penny. He has said that he wouldn't return for anything less than half-a-billion dollars. Since he feels that it's unlikely for someone to fork over that cash, he considers himself retired.

Despite this, he has yet to release his titles, so Arum, along with many fans, believes that Fury is waiting to see who the winner of Usyk vs. Joshua 2 will be before he makes his decision official.

Watch Bob Arum's full interview here: