Former two-time heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua, 26-3(23) is reported to be set to take on yet another new trainer. Joshua, who reports say will face Swedish southpaw Otto Wallin on that mega-card set for Saudi Arabia on December 23, will team up with Tyson Fury’s former trainer, Ben Davison. According to a news story in UK paper The Star, Davison will come on board for this fight, a ‘one-off,’ with AJ’s current regular trainer Derrick James okay with the idea.
James, the report says, will remain as Joshua’s head coach. But Joshua sure has made quite the habit of switching trainers during his pro career. Rob McCracken was let go after Joshua lost to Oleksandr Usyk. Robert Garcia was brought in for the Usyk rematch but he was let go after AJ lost once again to Usyk. Then James was brought in, and now, apparently, Davison will work with Joshua.
Is switching trainers so frequently (four different trainers over the course of five fights) a good thing? Wallin, 26-1(14) for one doesn’t think so, as he said when speaking with Seconds Out.
“It seems like it hasn’t worked for him and honestly I don’t think it’s going to work whoever he has,” Wallin said. “Something is not right if you keep changing the trainer. He had a very good run with McCracken, that might have been the best fit for him. He grew up with him and spent all those years with him and had all those successes. Change isn’t always for the better. It doesn’t seem like he’s getting better and better with new trainers.”
Apparently, Davison has been brought in due to “logistical reasons,” and James will regain control after the Wallin fight. However, some fans do see the Wallin fight as a risky assignment for AJ, and it would be a real disaster for AJ if he did lose on December 23, what with that massive fight with Deontay Wilder on the cards (we think, indeed hope) for next year.
How much new stuff if any can Davison bring out of 34 year old Joshua?
