Anthony Joshua Explains the Value Robert Garcia Brings to Training Camp
At long last, Anthony “AJ” Joshua (24-2, 22 KOs) has a new lead trainer in the fold. As 3Kings Boxing earlier reported, Robert Garcia has agreed to become the new lead trainer of the two-time unified heavyweight champ, ahead of his highly-anticipated rematch with current unified champion Oleksandr Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs).
A decision was made after a secret meeting between the fighter and the trainers. During an interview with UK’s iFL TV, Joshua was enthusiastic about the pairing and disclosed they are already hard at work.
IN A GOOD SPACE
“The main thing is, a happy fighter is a dangerous fighter. I feel good, I’m happy. I’m about to start training now. So yeah, Garcia is actually here now. So, we’re working on a few things.”
“It’s not about changing styles as such. In my opinion, Garcia’s style might be crouched down to five foot, bob and weave, but I’m a 6’6” heavyweight. So it’s not about changing style. It’s about his experience and what he knows at a championship level, et cetera, and adding that to the camp is priceless […] Yeah, I’m in a good place, and I’m about to crack on training now.”
His choice of Garcia ends what has been an exhaustive search. “AJ” has been on a mission to find a new instructor after parting ways with his former trainer, Robert McCracken, following losing the heavyweight belts by a decision to Usyk in September 2021. Joshua embarked on what was the equivalent of a college recruiting tour throughout the United States, meeting with several trainers.
WILL THINGS CHANGE THIS TIME AROUND?
With Garcia now running the ship, the hard grind and strategy begin behind the scenes. The first point of order is to figure out what went wrong for Joshua against Usyk last year. Many fans and pundits feel the cause of his demise was a lack of aggression. In the ring with a guy who has excellent footwork, the belief is that Joshua should have been more assertive and been on attack mode. Instead, he chose to play a game of wits against Usyk, who is quite skilled and has a high boxing IQ. It cost him his titles.
Garcia has a reputation for enhancing a fighter’s offensive abilities. Joshua has said he wants to fight with more intensity and offensive-minded in the rematch. Yes, a change in mindset matters. But you may need more than that to defeat the reigning unified champ.
In their first fight, Joshua did a poor job of cutting off the ring. As a result, he couldn’t consistently get in a proper position to land with power punches. Work must also be done on Joshua’s jab, which is not considered one of his strengths. The rematch is being targeted for sometime in August. Is there enough time for Garcia to work on these weaknesses, which must become significantly better to win? Time is officially on the clock. Boxing fans are eagerly waiting to see how things will play out.
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By: Michael Wilson Jr.
