Chris Algieri approves of Anthony Joshua’s choice of a new coach in Derrick James. Algieri feels that James an excellent option for the former two-time heavyweight champion Joshua (24-3, 22 KOs) to rebuild him.
The 33-year-old Joshua is coming off back-to-back defeats against Oleksandr Usyk, and he needs a new coach and surroundings by teaming with James, the coach of Errol Spence Jr and Jermell Charlo, and heading to the heat of Texas for his next camp.
What’s unclear is whether Derrick will attempt to bring back Joshua’s old style of fighting in which he was standing in the pocket, fighting aggressively.
Algieri points out that Jermell and Spence are fighters that stand and trade with their opponents, and he’s not confident of Joshua’s ability to succeed with that approach at this stage of his career.
However, we also know that the cautious way that Joshua has been fighting since after his loss to Andy Ruiz Jr in 2019 is not working for him, and he probably won’t beat fighters like Deontay Wilder, Tyson Fury or Joe Joyce fighting like that.
“Yes, I do. Derrick James has pretty much been the consensus trainer of the year for good reason,” said Chris Algieri to Inside Boxing Live when asked if Derrick James is a good fit as Anthony Joshua’s new trainer.
“Obviously, he’s been able to pull things out of his guys and brought them to the highest level. I do believe he’ll be the boss, and be the leader in the camp. I think that’s what Joshua needs at this point.
“He [Joshua] needs a kick in the seat of the pants, and be told what to do, and do things different and get out of his comfort zone because some changes need to be made in that camp. You’re not going to make changes when you’re fighting in your own backyard, in your own gym, in your nice fancy British gym.
“I think getting him out of there, going to the heat of Texas, and dealing with new faces and new dogs in the gym. I think that’s really important.
“That energy and atmosphere with those guys with the Charlo brothers, with Spence and these guys getting ready for fights, this is going to be new energy for him,” Algieri said about Joshua. I think he needs that because he needs new energy in his career.”