“He Realised He Had to Come to US” – Trainer Analyses Anthony Joshua’s Condition After the Oleksandr Usyk Loss

Last month, Anthony Joshua suffered a disheartening defeat to the former cruiserweight champ, Oleksandr Usyk. Nothing went as per plan for the Brit and he failed to figure out Usyk’s strategy. As a result, he capitulated to his second pro-boxing defeat at the jam-packed Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Post this loss, Joshua’s longtime trainer, Rob McCracken, received mammoth backlash for the guidance he gave to his fighter throughout the bout. As a result, there was news of ‘AJ’ separating from his trainer to hire another bigwig coach for his rematch with Usyk.

That said, over the past few days, the former unified heavyweight champ visited Eddy Reynoso and Ronnie Shields’ gyms.

There are massive speculations regarding Joshua and Shields joining hands for the Usyk rematch. But until now, there’s no concrete news from either of the sides. Recently, Shields was in a chat with The Boxing Voice, where he spilled the beans on his conversation with Joshua.

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Shields said, “He said, ‘European boxing is different from boxing in the US.’ He realised he had to come to US to get something different… I guess he didn’t feel it was the right [game plan vs Usyk] so he wanted to make a change.” (h/t Michael Benson)

Joshua, with his heavy frame and power, was an obvious favorite to win against ‘The Cat’. But Usyk was too fast for Joshua and he used his speed effectively to get out of the Brit’s punching range.

Should Anthony Joshua really change his trainer?

Rob McCracken couldn’t direct Anthony Joshua’s power and skills in the right direction against Oleksandr Usyk. And this eventually didn’t go well with ‘AJ’ who seemed desperate for a win.

As a result, Joshua should look to rope in a new trainer with fresh ideas, possibly Eddy Reynoso or Ronnie Shields. The duo has molded umpteen fighters into world champions.

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‘AJ’ has god-gifted power, but it was of no use in the Usyk fight as he failed to land his signature hit. That said, Reynoso or Shields can bring the best out of Joshua and help him channel his strengths in order to get the desired outcome.

Do you feel Joshua needs a new trainer?