Former unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua 24-2 (22) has admitted he is looking to make changes to his training team ahead of his rematch against conqueror Oleksandr Usyk 19-0 (13) next year.
Ukrainian southpaw Usyk, 34, widely outboxed Joshua at Tottenham Hotspurs Stadium in Tottenham, England on September 25, winning a unanimous decision by scores of 117-112, 115-113 and 116-112 to claim the WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight titles.
The 32-year-old Joshua enacted the immediate rematch clause in his contract, with the return bout expected to happen early next year.
In the wake of his second professional loss, Joshua has travelled to the United States with a view to bolstering his training staff to give himself the best chance of avenging his recent loss.
But the British boxer insists he is not looking to replace his existing coach Rob McCracken.
“Yeah [McCracken could remain with the team], and he has to speak to the people I may want to work with and see if he can work with them. I had the same conversation with Rob, ‘I want to work with you, but I also want to work with this guy for six months’,” Joshua told iFL TV.
“Rob might tell me, ‘You know what champ, this ain’t working for me. For the next six months, you do your thing and come and see me after.’ It’s mature conversations. My life, my health is on the line.
“I need to go and get some new teachings from guys that have trained – Robert Garcia trained 13, 14 world champions. They’ve got so many generations of teachings. Virgil Hunter trained Andre Ward, a phenomenal fighter. I wanted to go around and be in an environment of fighters.
“Eddy Reynoso, ‘No boxing, no life’. I love that saying. Canelo [Alvarez] is obviously a phenomenal fighter. I watched him spar 12 rounds, asked certain questions. Ronnie Shields, another African American coach who has worked with the greats.”
Meanwhile, retired former junior welterweight champion Rick Hatton has implored Joshua to be more aggressive in the rematch.
“My advice if AJ was listening to me now: they’ve all written you off anyway, they all think Usyk is going to win the fight even more comfortably – use that as your fuel to ram it down their throats,” Hatton told The Daily Mail.
“If they think you’re going to get beat anyway, you’ve got nothing to lose, son. Fucking go and grab it by the balls.
“I’d keep the tactics dead simple: ‘He outboxed me last time, this time I’m going to fucking bash you.’
“At this level, it’s probably not as simple as that, but I just think there’s so much AJ’s got to offer.
“In the rematch, a lot of people say Usyk will do the same again, only he’ll put his foot on the gas a little bit earlier and might stop AJ. I think the opposite. You’ve got to be able to adapt, and if it’s one thing AJ has it’s that adaptability. He can box, as he proved by winning Olympic gold and regaining the heavyweight title. He can mix it up.”
