Oleksandr Usyk Losses Led Anthony Joshua to Do “One of the Best Things” He Has Done in His Boxing Career

Anthony Joshua has had his fair share of trainers throughout his career. Some were necessary, others were based on his judgment of how things were going in camp. However, with the Daniel Dubois fight on the horizon, ‘AJ’ is confident about his partnership with Ben Davison to bag the IBF heavyweight title on September 21 at Wembley Stadium. Regardless, do you know the story behind his decision to partner with Tyson Fury’s former trainer close to home? Well, if you didn’t, the former unified heavyweight champion has spilled all the beans during his Grand Arrival for his much-anticipated fight. 

Speaking to the Brit, DAZN Boxing’s Ade Oladipo probed him about all the trainers Joshua has worked with and what made him sure that Davison was the man to be with. This led Joshua to recall what one of his friends told him when he was in camp for the Otto Wallin fight. Joshua said, “It was my mate—I was training down Finchley. And my mate was like, ‘Why are you training down here on your own?’ I was at a camp at the time and I was like, ‘I’m just ticking over.’ He’s like, ‘Why don’t you go down and see Ben?’” Believing in his friend’s wisdom, Joshua decided to heed the advice and trained with Ben Davison.

“I went down there. It’s probably one of the best things I’ve done,” Joshua said. After joining Davison, Joshua also revealed, earlier in the conversation, that Davison spoke to him about his loss to Oleksandr Usyk, which would eventually lead him to retain Davison as his trainer. “Ben said to me, after my Usyk [fights], and just like, ‘Look, I can see that you [were] frustrated because [you were] a young man you wanted to improve. You weren’t just frustrated like you were jealous of Usyk’. I think Usyk’s the best, one of my favorite fighters. I rate him highly. But he just said that ‘He wanted to see me get better,’” Joshua explained. 

While Joshua seems satisfied with Ben Davison now, his list of trainers is quite interesting.

All the coaches Anthony Joshua has trained with

Anthony Joshua’s training journey has seen several notable coaches guiding his career. After his first loss to Oleksandr Usyk in September 2021, Joshua parted ways with long-time trainer Rob McCracken. Interestingly, McCracken had been Joshua’s trainer since his amateur days, but the professional scene needed a new approach.

Seeking a new perspective, Joshua worked with Robert Garcia before his rematch with Usyk in 2022. Much like his fleeting hopes of defeating Usyk, Joshua’s partnership with Garcia was brief, prompting him to seek out the expertise of renowned trainer Derrick James. This time Joshua would stick around with James for the Franklin and Helenius fights. 

However, this changed before the Wallin fight when he was seeking a trainer closer to home—Ben Davison turned out to be that coach. And Joshua has revealed how they met each other—because of one of his mates. That said, if Joshua had not lost his fights against Oleksandr Usyk, he would have probably never changed trainers, and his partnership with Ben Davison would never have happened.

Is Ben going to be Joshua’s last coach? Only time will tell. Until then, what is your prediction for the Dubois fight? Share in the comments below.