"There's more of a mental problem" - Robert Garcia on Anthony Joshua's preparation for Oleksandr Usyk rematch
Robert Garcia has admitted that Anthony Joshua is still suffering from a lack of confidence following his shock defeat to Oleksandr Usyk. The experienced trainer, who was recently added to Joshua's team to work alongside Angel Fernandez, wants to help rediscover the Brit's air of invincibility.
Joshua fought Usyk back in September 2021 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. Despite being the slight favourite, 'AJ' was dominated by the Ukrainian over 12 rounds and lost a convincing decision on the cards. The former Unified Heavyweight Champion was also close to being stopped in the 12th round.
Watch the fight highlights of Joshua vs. Usyk here:
Anthony Joshua experienced his first professional loss against Andy Ruiz back in 2019. 'The Destroyer' dropped 'AJ' four times in total and forced a stoppage in the seventh round. However, six months later, the Olympic gold medallist was able to avenge his defeat against the Mexican-American with ease.
Here is what Robert Garcia said in a recent video on his YouTube channel:
"Fighters come off a loss – like after the Andy Ruiz Jr fight… They might think, 'I lost a fight, so maybe I'm not as good?'… After he lost we've seen there's more of a mental problem, so we're working on that."
Watch the full video:
Robert Garcia confirms Anthony Joshua has hired psychology professionals
Garcia continued by expressing how Anthony Joshua has added other experts to his team to further improve his minset:
"He's created a team of not only me and Angel [Fernandez]. He hired other people. Not trainers, different people that could help with the way he's thinking. Somebody that's with him, thinking positive with him."
When Joshua first burst on the boxing scene in 2013, he possessed an exciting and aggressive style. 'AJ' famously knocked out Wladimir Klitchsko at Wembley Stadium in front of 90,000 fans after finding himself on the canvas in the fifth round.
Regardless, in the last few years Joshua has adopted more of a safety-first, back-foot boxing approach in the ring. A style that is tailor-made for a sleek boxer with outstanding skills like Usyk.
Therefore, it remains to be seen whether Joshua can regain his confidence and revert back to the physically-imposing manner that made him a world champion in the first place.