Anthony Joshua has appointed new trainer Derrick James for his heavyweight comeback fight against Jermaine Franklin on April 1.
The British heavyweight parted ways with Robert McCracken following his first loss to Usyk in September 2021 and teamed up with Robert Garcia to change his fortunes in the rematch. However, he lost on a narrow-split decision in their second meeting in August, which has since seen Joshua move on.
Joshua has since travelled out to the US and will work with James, who boasts a talented stable including unified champion Errol Spence Jr and undisputed champion Jermell Charlo. The American has previously won Ring Magazine Trainer of the Year in 2017 and was also recognised for his achievements by the WBC in 2020.
James is known for coaching his fighters to be aggressive and chase a stoppage, which is exactly what Joshua has struggled to do in his recent outings. 'AJ' has seen the final bell in four of his last five fights and will be looking to reignite his hard-hitting ruthless style that saw him rise to the top.
When asked about his experience with Joshua in the gym so far, James revealed he was impressed by the heavyweight's talent and would ideally like to restore his winning mentality. He told Fight Hype : “Yes, he does [fit in.] He doesn’t want to stop. I really was [impressed.] It was great to see. Most big guys are not so… they’re kind of lazy or whatever.
"But I saw the way we’d work. He’s a student. Any fighter that has a new trainer, it’s all about manoeuvring and getting meshed to where you really know what he’s doing before you go into some big fights. Bring those winning ways back. That’s the most important part about it.”
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Joshua elected to part ways with long-term trainer McCracken after being criticised for his conservative strategy in his first loss to Usyk. Despite relocating to Loughborough University campus, he was unable to significantly change the sequel, despite showing some signs of improvement.
It will be a big year for Joshua as he chases a return to world title contention, beginning with his meeting with Franklin. And boxing legend Roy Jones Jr, who offered to train Joshua, believes appointing James is a wise move. “Great decision, great decision,” Jones told Pro Boxing Fans.
“I told him before he did it that I thought it was a great decision, a great move. I said if you feel comfortable there, don’t keep looking. If you’re comfortable, stay where you’re comfortable. I think James may be able to get him to apply the type of pressure that he needs to apply as a bigger man when he fights people like Usyk.”
