Former two-time heavyweight boxing champion, Anthony Joshua, has revealed a significant restructuring within his training camp, confirming that he has parted ways with his current coach and will now be preparing under the guidance of the team behind his long-time rival and reigning world champion, Oleksandr Usyk. The unexpected development was disclosed during the press conference for his upcoming December 19 showdown with Jake Paul in Miami, which will stream live on Netflix.
During the event, Anthony Joshua was asked whether he was still being trained by Ben Davison. In response, the British-Nigerian boxer announced that he had ended the partnership, explaining that he found London “a bit distracting,” and accepted an invitation to train with Team Usyk. He further praised the expertise within the Ukrainian’s camp.
“No, I won’t be trained by Ben Davison,” Joshua confirmed. “I was invited to train with Team Usyk. I’ve been in Spain, we’ve been doing some good training, and I think he’s one of the best in the world… Not I think, he is one of the best in the world.”
Having suffered back-to-back defeats to Usyk in 2021 and 2022, Joshua said his decision was inspired by the desire to learn from the very team that had previously outclassed him. He emphasized that the strength of the camp stems not only from Usyk himself, but from the elite professionals who support him.
“Getting an insight into how someone who’s achieved so much operates has been phenomenal. It’s been a great experience and very challenging,” he added, noting that he has been training with them “for a couple months now.”
Anthony Joshua clarified that although he is working with Usyk’s team, he is not sparring with Usyk, who is currently training elsewhere.
The December 19 clash will mark Joshua’s return to the ring, 15 months after his knockout loss to Daniel Dubois. His opponent, Jake Paul, appeared unbothered by Anthony Joshua’s training camp shake-up.
“It’s great. I mean, obviously he’s training with the best in the world. He’s one of the best heavyweights in the world, we expect nothing less, and I want the best version of Anthony Joshua on December 19,” Paul said confidently.
“It’s going to be the best version of Jake Paul that you’ve seen, and we’ll see who’s better.”
Despite Paul’s optimism, the pair’s first face-off drew widespread reactions due to the glaring physical disparity between the fighters. Joshua stands five inches taller, carries 50 pounds more in weight, and enjoys a six-inch reach advantage over Paul. Concerned fans flooded social media with reactions such as “It’s over for him,” while another predicted, “Joshua is going to give him serious damage.”
The undercard for the highly anticipated event was also unveiled, featuring a blockbuster matchup between UFC legends Anderson Silva and Tyron Woodley. Additionally, unified super featherweight champion Alycia Baumgardner will face Leila Beaudoin in a multi-title co-main event bout.
