Oleksandr Usyk was as relieved as Anthony Joshua after his teammate climbed from the canvas to beat Kristian Prenga.
Joshua was in action against unknown Albanian Prenga in what was expected to be a routine tune-up fight in Jeddah.
The bout carried extra pressure for AJ who was looking to avoid a slip-up to set up his long awaited clash with bitter rival Tyson Fury.
But it turned out to be a rollercoaster night in the squared circle for Joshua, who was dropped twice in a frantic opening round.
Joshua looked to be on the brink of a monumental upset defeat but he managed to survive, thanks to Prenga’s lack of killer instinct.
And the former two-time champion showed heart to survive, and inflict a punishing second round KO on his helpless rival.
For the Briton, he was one relieved man as he celebrated with his team and promoter Eddie Hearn after avoiding a nasty scare.
And Usyk showed his drastic emotions while sat ringside after the fight.
The Ukrainian was shown breathing a huge sigh of relief immediately after the fight was waved off.
He looked emotional as if he had been in the ring himself, and was comforted by a member of his team around him.
Usyk then clambered up on to the ring canvas and shared an emotional embrace with Joshua.
The most recent undisputed heavyweight champion played a pivotal part in his former rival’s preparations to return.
It has been a hugely emotional time for the Olympic gold medallist, who was involved in a car accident which killed two of his close friends in December.
Joshua and Usyk’s shared training team will now be grateful that he returned back to winning ways despite his struggles.
As for AJ, his focus will now switch towards a clash with Fury, although clamours for the showdown may now be quieter.
In the immediate aftermath, he was disappointed to learn Fury had avoided travelling to watch the bout ringside.
But his overall emotion was relief, like Usyk, as he paid tribute to his own fighting spirit.
He explained: “He’s a strong guy you know!
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“I think Eddie Hearn wants to sign him now! He’s gonna do well. He’s got a bright future.
“This is what champions do. We get knocked down and we get up again.
“It’s more than punch power. That was spirit, that was Latz, that was Sina, that was the families.”
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