Anthony Joshua is being prepared to try and knock out Oleksandr Usyk in their rematch this summer.
Joshua, 32, will get a chance at immediate redemption later this year, when he is set to face Usyk, 35, in a lucrative second meeting. The Briton was outpointed in his title defence last September and was heavily criticised for his approach to try and outbox the ex-cruiserweight king.
The former two-time heavyweight champion will be trained by Robert Garcia and previous coach Angel Fernandez for the money-spinning sequel. And Garcia has suggested that Joshua is capable of winning over the 12-round distance despite last year's result.
"That is what we are training for," Garcia told iFL TV when asked if Joshua must win by knockout to avenge his defeat. "But I think he could also win by decision. Why not? He is bigger he is strong and he can jab to a win also but I want to see him win by knockout. The couple good rounds he had in the previous fight there was a few punches that stunned Usyk and he moved around because he felt his power.
"That was probably the worst Anthony ever and he still managed to land and Usyk felt them punches. But if we get the Anthony that we want, I think he could go and really hurt him."
Garcia has been working with Joshua in secret since December alongside current coach Fernandez, who assumed the role as head trainer following the defeat. Joshua's previous trainer, Rob McCracken, faced criticism for his corner advice and tactics, which saw a 'gun-shy' Joshua unable to create significant openings.
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After showing defiance in defeat, Joshua toured America searching for a new addition to his team, visiting the likes of Eddy Reynoso and Virgil Hunter. However, he opted to draft in former Trainer of the Year Garcia, who will join up with Joshua for a three-month camp at Loughborough University.
Joshua admitted in the aftermath of his loss that he had made mistakes in his preparations for bout with Usyk. But now Joshua believes alongside his new coaching team, he will be able to put in place a detailed gameplan for the first time in his career. "If I'm honest with you, this is the first time in my career I'd say we are specifically working to a game plan," Joshua said during a Q&A with the Oxford Union.
"So it will all make sense after July 23. I've based a lot of my success on raw ability, with the right coaches, experienced coaches. But they probably knew I had ability. So, it's just about neutering that ability. What tends to happen is, we overthink things too much when there isn't a game plan. Because things don't always go our way when it's based on raw ability. So raw ability wasn't enough, so now I'm gonna try out this new game plan training and see how it goes."
