Anthony Joshua (26-3, 23 KOs) has been changing his coaches quite often lately. When he steps into the ring in Saudi Arabia on December 23, he will have his fourth trainer in his last five fights.
In the first fight with Usik, his long-time mentor Rob McCracken was involved in his preparation, but it was Robert Garcia who brought him to the rematch. AJ lost both of these fights, after which he hired Derrick James. With him in his corner, he defeated Jermaine Franklin on points and knocked out Robert Helenius. In confrontation with Otto Wallin (26-1, 14 KOs), which will take place in sixteen days, will be headed by Ben Davison, until recently the head trainer of Tyson Fury.
It is interesting that Fury broke up with Davison precisely after the fight with Wallin, which he won, but not without problems, and John Fury, Tyson’s father, loudly expressed his concern about his son’s preparation.
“Ben Davison is a good trainer and a smart guy who already has a lot of experience working with different boxers. He seems to be very methodical in his actions and will certainly want to bring something new to Joshua's boxing. On the other hand, I've already seen Derrick James' hand, AJ started boxing differently, so I'm a little disappointed that Joshua interrupted that learning process. I wanted to see where he and James would go together. But he changed his coach again, albeit to a good one. Let’s see if there are any changes in Anthony’s boxing now,” said George Groves, former super middleweight champion.
The former two-time world heavyweight champion suggested he would return to James' wing after this fight, and the change was dictated by logistical issues. This explanation looks extremely unconvincing, since it is difficult to believe that minor logistical obstacles could interfere with preparations for the important battle with Wallin.
