Did Anthony Joshua's new coach Robert Garcia ever train Oleksandr Usyk?
Anthony Joshua will now be honed by veteran trainer Robert Garcia ahead of his rematch against Oleksandr Usyk. This new addition could fetch 'AJ' a lot more than just a revised game plan.
Rob McCracken’s tricks didn’t help him get past Usyk in their first clash. Joshua’s new trainer Robert Garcia could provide some valuable insights about Oleksandr Usyk’s abilities as he has seen the Ukrainian boxer train at his gym.
Watch AJ vs. Usyk below:
A month after Anthony Joshua’s defeat against Oleksandr Usyk, Garcia connected with EsNews and detailed his impression of the cruiserweight-turned-heavyweight:
“He [Usyk] was in my gym. He trained in my gym for a while, him and Lomachenko. Even though I didn’t train them obviously. But training in the gym, so I was there. I know things about them too.”
Watch the interview here:
Although Garcia has never coached Usyk, he clearly understands the heavyweight champion’s game. Oleksandr Usyk has trained with top-level coaches like Anatoly Lomachenko and James Ali Bashir over the course of his career.
After conquering the cruiserweight division as its undefeated, Undisputed Champion, Usyk's heavyweight journey has been similarly successful. 3-0 as a pro heavyweight, Usyk now holds most of the world titles in the division.
He will have to beat Joshua once again to retain the belts. The first fight between the two left many in shock as Usyk dominated the 12-round battle.
Anthony Joshua vs. Oleksandr Usyk 2 - Update on date and venue
Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Promotions are yet to officially announce 'AJ' vs. Usyk 2. However, it looks likely to happen on August 20 at the Jeddah Super Dome Arena in Saudi Arabia.
This means both sides will step up against each other after a lay-off of 11 months. A lot has happened in the heavyweight division since then.
WBC Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury defended his belt via TKO against Dillian Whyte at Wembley and hung up his gloves. If Joshua avenges his defeat against Usyk to become a 3x heavyweight champion, it may validate a potential comeback for Tyson Fury. However, overpowering Usyk seems like a demanding task at the moment for Joshua.