Anthony Joshua Speaks on the Value of Fighters Switching Trainers
Officially, heavyweight boxer Anthony “AJ” Joshua (24-2, 22 KO’s) has suffered two losses in his professional career. He avenged his first knockout loss at the hands of Andy Ruiz sixth months later by knockout. In his last outing versus unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk (19-0, 13 KO’s), Joshua was beaten by way of unanimous decision. Now on August 20, AJ will attempt to correct the professional blemish one more time.
In preparation for the redo against Usyk, AJ has made a number of changes. The biggest was moving his training camp to America so that he could be instructed by respected chief second and former fighter Robert Garcia. So far, as he told to Talk Sport, Joshua believes this was the best move for all the right reasons.
“I can pass that knowledge onto others, not just myself. But, I am definitely a lot wiser from that experience. I think that all fighters should experience training with new trainers, I think it’s important for growth. I don’t think you should ever hold yourself subject to one trainer throughout your whole career. That’s just my opinion. And it’s not a thing where it’s disrespecting anyone, but it’s a thing about growth.”
Armed with the new trainer and equipped with the new lessons, AJ is confident that he is a much more evolved fighter.
“Not every person, at the top level, that you hit is there to be finished. I moved up the ranks quick, so I realized that these guys are a lot more determined, a lot fitter, a lot tougher. So I need to start learning about boxing IQ, so I put that stuff aside…so I’ve just learned in boxing that you have to be versatile and you have to be able to adapt.”
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By: Bakari Simpson
