Eddie Hearn, promoter of former two-time world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, said his boxer will announce his new coach in the next few weeks. Last September the former king of the first heavyweight division Oleksandr Usyk outboxed Joshua on points and took the WBO, WBA and IBF titles from him. Joshua took advantage of the clause in his rematch and a second fight is now tentatively slated for April or May.
After the second defeat in his career, Joshua went to the United States and was seen in the company of several high-profile coaches. He also traveled to Dubai and was seen training with other coaches. Prior to that, Joshua was coached by experienced mentor Rob McCracken for a long time.
“He worked hard. Apparently his trip to America and subsequent training in the UK with different people... he is looking at coaches. I think AJ will make an announcement [regarding his coach] when the preparations begin, which I think will kick off in late January, early February. But he did a lot of work to make the right decision,” Hearn said in an interview with IFL TV.
“A lot of people say, “Do you think it’s risky to hire a new coach?” To which I say, “Do you think it’s risky to feel comfortable with the old team and long-term environment?” He did his best to make sure that everything does it right. I think when the training camp starts, he will announce his training team."
However, Joshua's new head coach does not necessarily mean McCracken will not be involved in his training. Hearn believes McCracken will stay with AJ.
“He will always be involved in some way. He is more than just Anthony's coach... he is a mentor, an advisor. They will always communicate - in what capacity, I don't know. AJ must announce it himself. But the training team will definitely have replenishments,” added Hearn.
