Coaches Joshua: "In a rematch with Usyk we will go for a knockout"

Robert Garcia and Angel Fernandez
Robert Garcia and Angel Fernandez

August 13 or 20 in Saudi Arabia Anthony Joshua (24-2, 22 KOs) and Oleksandr Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs) will cross their gloves for the second time. For this fight, the Brit will be trained by a duo of coaches: Angel Fernandez, with whom Joshua has already worked, and Robert Garcia, a new character in AJ's team. In one of the latest interviews, the aforementioned duo made the following statements.

Fernandez: “Failure is never easy to swallow, but you must learn from it and try to improve. Many people criticize coaches, but during the fight a lot of things happen, including in the head of the coach. What happened, happened. I have always respected Rob McCracken (Joshua's head coach until his loss to Usyk in September last year and the loss of the IBF, WBA and WBO heavyweight belts - ed. note). Without him, AJ would not have been successful. Now Anthony will have to decide who will have the last word in the corner. At the moment, Robert Garcia and I are changing, sometimes I have the right to vote, sometimes he has. We understand each other very well. Anthony's performance has to be perfect, and it will be. Robert Garcia and I are training our players to win by knockout.”

Garcia: "I've always loved Anthony Joshua's boxing and he's become a real superstar. However, in recent battles, he gave the impression of a man who had lost a little faith in his team and in himself. Perhaps he also lost his love for the sport. The plan for the first fight was bad, but now we told Anthony what we want, and he said he also wants to win for us. He must use his physical condition and strength. I'm here to give good advice and help make a good plan. I surprised people many times, worked with losers, and we won. Why can't I handle the heavyweight? We can complement each other, and we will do it. There will be no conflicting inputs. We will not give too complicated instructions during the battle. Anthony will know what to do. He has all the advantages to dominate the second fight with Usyk and win ahead of schedule. He will also be ready for anything Usyk can show him in the ring."