Anthony Joshua says he’s considering having his next training camp in Dubai, Africa, or the U.S to reinvigorate him for his rematch with IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk in April.
Joshua (24-2, 22 KOs) looked lost against Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs) last September in a 12 round decision loss in London, England, and he believes the defeat was due to a variety of factors.
The 32-year-old Joshua had the wrong game plan, lacked the conditioning and the chin to fight the way he needed to beat the faster, more agile Usyk.
New environment and coach may not help Joshua
It’s believed that Joshua will switch trainers for the rematch with Usyk, hoping that by going with someone new, he’ll win and recapture his three belts.
However, changing trainers may not be the answer that Joshua is hoping for because his problems go deeper. We’re cardio and chin issues that won’t go away no matter who is at the helm of Joshua’s ship.
If there were a way of bringing back Muhammad Ali’s old coach Angelo Dundee, even he wouldn’t be able to pick up the pieces of Joshua’s career to save him from his destiny.
Ultimately, if Joshua is successful in his rematch with Usyk, he’ll fight WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury later this year if ‘The Gypsy King’ wins his next contest.
Fury’s next opponent for his March 26th fight is still up in the air at this point.
“Maybe I can do a training camp in Dubai, maybe I can do a training camp in Africa, in America – just a new environment to get inspired again and to take the heavyweight division by storm,” Joshua said at the Mirror.
Joshua talking in ‘what ifs’ reveals how lost he is, basically without hope. He’s grabbing at straws at this point, showing how desperate he is to save his career.
Joshua is looking for the Fountain of Youth
We see this kind of thing in every sport. An athlete is at the top for a certain amount of time, but they get older, or the competition gets better.
Joshua is going through that right now, and it doesn’t look promising for him to find that Fountain of Youth. Although Joshua is only 32, he’s aged enough to where he’s no longer the elite fighter he’d once been.
He’s not going to rediscover a younger 20-something version of himself by changing coaches or training camps. Nothing will change.
“Now is probably the time in my career where when I get home, I’m going to put in some real work and make some sacrifice,” said Joshua.
“I’m going for a new environment, to work with some new coaches and just go to war. It’s a warrior mindset,” said Joshua.
There’s not much Joshua can do to turn things around at this point. His chin and stamina issues will remain a constant, and they’re not going to go away by taking his camp to a different country.
The only thing Joshua can do in the rematch with Usyk to try and find success is to use his size and power to bludgeon the smaller fighter.
Instead of getting smaller, Joshua should bulk up to 250+ lbs and focus on his power game. Joshua will quickly gas out carrying that kind of weight around, but it’ll improve his chances of scoring an early knockout.