Nigerian-born former world heavyweight boxing champion, Anthony Olaseni Oluwafemi Joshua has been told in unequivocal terms that he must not change his trainer if he intends to reclaim the belts he lost last month to Oleksandr Usyk, megasportsarena.com reports.
With ‘AJ’ already thinking of snatching his belts back from Usyk, as he did three years ago versus Andy Ruiz Junior, an expert of the pugilists’ trade and renowned trainer, Jamie Moore says that would only be possible if Joshua sticks with his current coach, Rob McCracken.
Speculation has been rife that Joshua is angling for a change of tactics under a new coach, as he has been spending time with different trainers in USA, which could see him finally dump McCracken, after the loss to Ukraine’s Usyk in September.
Joshua has been having sessions with Andre Ward’s ex-coach Virgil Hunter, Canelo Alvarez’s trainer Eddie Reynoso and Mike Tyson’s former trainer, Ronnie Shields, but Moore has spoken out to express his reservations with that move.
The veteran trainer insists that McCracken is the right coach to take Joshua to his rematch with Usyk in the spring, because he is the one who knows the Nigerian-born fighter inside out and should be retained for the rematch against Usyk.
Talk about the possibility of a new trainer stepping in began after Usyk stripped Joshua of his WBA, WBO and IBF titles as he won via unanimous decision and the British star triggered the rematch clause in their contract.
Joshua will be aiming to win back his belts to then line-up an all British unification fight against Tyson Fury, who defeated Deontay Wilder in October to retain his WBC title, and Moore believes only McCracken can help him do it.
Moore told iFL TV: “As a fighter, you have to make these types of decisions, sometimes they’re not nice. If he feels like he needs a change for his career, then he needs a change.
“If he didn’t then he wouldn’t be looking elsewhere. I don’t think from a technical or a tactical point of view he needs a change from Rob McCracken. I think Rob knows him inside out.
“Looking from the outside in, I would be saying you don’t need to change trainer. I’d stick with what he knows best. But he obviously feels like he needs a change.”
