Is former two-time heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua about to hook up yet another new trainer? While Joshua – set now to return to the ring next year, not this year – has said he has plenty of respect for Robert Garcia, who was brought in earlier this year in an effort to avenge the 2021 loss to Oleksandr Usyk, he also said he wants to remain a “free spirit.” Joshua says he would definitely be open to working with Garcia again, but the big news doing the rounds right now is the fact that Roy Jones may come onboard as Joshua’s new trainer.
Asked about this by Talk Sport, Jones confirmed that he and Joshua have talked and that Joshua is going to come to his gym and see if the two men gel well together.
“He’s not [looking to tie himself down], he’s not,” Jones said of Joshua. “He’s come to talk to me too, so I’ll be one of those guys talking to him and we’ll see what happens. We spoke the other day, so we’re gonna talk. He’s gonna come to the gym and see what we do. If it works out well, that’ll be it. If it don’t, he can go on and find a better trainer.”
Jones has of course worked for some time with another British star in Chris Eubank Junior, and maybe Jones can add some flash, some additional moves to Joshua. Maybe. Then again, how much improvement can Anthony Joshua make at age 33, having already worked with numerous trainers? Some would argue that in order to improve his game, Joshua needs to get in the ring. Sure, it sounds simple, but Joshua has not been active, not for some time. You have to go back to 2019 to find the last time Joshua boxed more than once a year.
If Joshua does hook up with Jones, how long will it take him to get familiar with Jones, to trust him? This of course is what is needed for a successful relationship between a fighter and a trainer. Is Jones looking to work with Joshua longer-term or maybe on a fight-by-fight basis? We don’t know. But again, can an old dog learn new tricks? No, Joshua is not at all old at 33, but he has been a pro for over nine years. Would another shift in trainers do Joshua any real good at this point?