Derrick James Isn’t the Only One Anthony Joshua Is Relying on for Honing His Skills Ahead of Possible Deontay Wilder Fight

Whether he fights Deontay Wilder or not, or he gets the third fight of the year, Anthony Joshua loves staying at the top of his game. The former two-time unified heavyweight champion strongly believes in the adage: The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in battle. He walks the talk and seems willing to go to any lengths to ensure that he is ready when it’s time to face the music. And to put into effect what he believes, Joshua even appears amenable to learning from multiple trainers instead of sticking to one.

It may startle a lot of fans and followers. They usually watch their favorite icon stay put with one dedicated trainer for years. It was in February this year, following the second consecutive loss to Oleksandr Usyk, that Anthony Joshua joined Derrick James‘ stable. The news was received with widespread appreciation, given the award-winning coach’s stress on improving the athlete’s fundamentals. However, per recent reports, the former champion has been frequenting another trainer’s gym as he prepares himself for a tentative battle royale with Wilder.

Anthony Joshua’s fluid approach to his training needs

It was sometime in October that news of Anthony Joshua visiting the Essex-based Ben Davison Performance Centre emerged. The famed boxing trainer from the UK used to be with none other than reigning heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. So does that mean that relations between the American Derrick James and Joshua have soured over the months? No, says the latter’s promoter, Eddie Hearn.

According to Boxing Social, Hearn confirmed that there are no plans to change James as Anthony Joshua’s head trainer. The former champion has had Ben Davison on his training staff in the background for his recent fights. So while in the UK, he has been strategizing with the latter. However, Derrick James remains his primary coach.

He said, “AJ is with Derrick James, 100%. But Ben is a fantastic coach, and I think that has the kind of mind that AJ would tick with. AJ is the kind of guy who doesn’t like to be out of camp for too long, and there is a chance he fights in December. So if that’s the case, he wanted these couple of weeks just to sharpen his tools before he heads into camp in Dallas with Derrick….”

Under Derrick James, Anthony Joshua won two fights this year, starting with the unanimous decision win over Jermaine Franklin. Later in August, he defeated Robert Helenius. Before he joined the Texas-based trainer, ‘AJ’ was under Robert Garcia‘s tutelage. However, they went their separate ways following the second Usyk defeat. Trainers Angel Fernandez and Rob McCracken were with his during the first fight with the Ukrainian.

Ben Davison, the architect behind several boxing careers

Ben Davison worked with Tyson Fury for a long time. Many credit him with the world champion’s return three years after he became the unified heavyweight champion in 2015. Before his eventual replacement by Sugar Hill Steward, under Davison, ‘The Gypsy King’ fought the first Deontay Wilder fight that ended in a controversial draw. Among other champions, Davison trained former undisputed Super Lightweight Champion Josh Taylor and Billy Joe Saunders.

Read More: Anthony Joshua Responds to Conor McGregor Teaching His Son the Combo He Used to Knock Out Robert Helenius

What’s your take? Should boxers stick to one particular trainer for a long time or replace them whenever the outcomes aren’t favorable? Please share your views with us in the comments below.

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