Derrick James, the reigning trainer of the year, is optimistic about the progress he can make with Anthony Joshua, the former two-time unified heavyweight champion. James took on the role of Joshua’s trainer just before the announcement of Joshua’s upcoming fight against Jermaine Franklin on April 1 at the O2 Arena in London. “I’m definitely looking forward to April 1,” James stated. He believes that the world has yet to see the best version of Joshua, particularly given the work they have been doing together in the gym. Acknowledging Franklin’s skills, James noted, “I know that Jermaine Franklin is a very good fighter and is taking it seriously.”
As the only active trainer with two current unified champions, James was a prime candidate to train Joshua, who has opted for a new approach for his second consecutive training camp. Joshua, a British-Nigerian heavyweight, spent the majority of his career under the guidance of Robert McCracken, a former middleweight contender. McCracken played a crucial role in Joshua’s success, helping him secure an Olympic gold medal at the London 2012 Games and guiding him through two unified heavyweight title reigns. However, their partnership came to an end after Joshua lost his WBA, IBF, and WBO heavyweight titles to Oleksandr Usyk in their first encounter in September 2021. Following that defeat, Joshua enlisted former IBF junior lightweight champion Robert Garcia to assist him in preparation for the rematch with Usyk, who again defeated Joshua by unanimous decision in August 2022 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Joshua’s rise to prominence began with his second-round knockout of unbeaten IBF heavyweight titleholder Charles Martin in April 2016, marking the start of a 12-fight title streak. During this period, he became the leading gate attraction in the UK and one of the top pay-per-view headliners. Now, Joshua is returning to basics, as he will spend his entire training camp in the United States for the first time in his career. “I think it’s so much about Anthony being the fighter he wants to be and needs to be,” James emphasized. “It’s all about him. It’s not about anybody else. It’s about his legacy and him trying to improve on it.” He added that their focus is on building Joshua into the best version of himself for the upcoming fight. Although time is limited, James believes that their work is at a high level. “He’s a very intellectual fighter. He can do it. He’s maintaining and understanding everything I’m asking him to do,” he concluded.
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