Back in July, Anthony Joshua revealed that he felt his ex-trainer, Rob McCracken, “didn’t teach him defence” and that he now needs to try and get those years back – the fall out has continued ever since.
Joshua and McCracken first linked up in the Team GB squad for the Olympics and remained together after Joshua won gold in London 2012 and then for his first 26 pro fights. He became a two-time, three-belt champion in those fights before eventually parting ways with McCracken following his first loss to Oleksandr Usyk.
Carl Froch, who trained all of his career under McCracken, took umbrage with Joshua’s comments and said the real reason for the split was that ‘Joshua didn’t listen’ and wasn’t putting in the hard yards in camp.
Speaking to DAZN Boxing, AJ was told that his new coach Derrick James says that he has not met a fighter who is ‘as meticulous and regimented’ as Joshua before.
“You know what upsets me about that compliment? Not what Derrick said, but, when I’ve worked with precious trainers they’ve said I’m not a serious athlete, that I don’t work hard.
And the situation with Carl, he would speak as if Rob would tell him that I didn’t like to do my runs and I wasn’t hard working and Froch would say he knew what was going on behind the scenes.”
Joshua then refuted those comments.
“But how can Rob say that about me when Rob knows me. I work hard. I will say that becoming champion or unified champion is not an easy feat you know. When we look at Britain, only seven others have become heavyweight champion. It’s a short list. You have to work hard.”
Joshua’s next job of work is to see off late replacement opponent Robert Helenius, who canceled his holiday to take the bout, this weekend after Dillian Whyte’s VADA test returned an adverse finding.
