Former super middleweight world champion Carl Froch claims Anthony Joshua did not sack his coach Rob McCracken and that when their partnership came to an end it was “a mutual agreement.”
‘The Cobra’ spent much of his professional career fighting under McCracken, so has a good insight into his working relationship with former heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua. He has previously claimed he knows why their relationship broke down.
Although he says he “couldn’t give a toss who trains AJ,” the retired Nottingham fighter expanded on the subject while speaking to Genting Casino.
“I’ve got two things to say to that – 1, I couldn’t give us a toss who trains him, 2, AJ did not leave Rob McCracken, for all you know Rob McCracken left him. It was a mutual agreement, put it that way. AJ did not sack McCracken. He’s the boss. Maybe things happened and Rob didn’t want to work with AJ that’s why that came about.
“In the build-up to the first Usyk fight, there were many people around AJ, telling him different things, and I think Rob had had enough if I’m honest. I know the situation and I know for a fact that AJ did not get rid of Rob.”
“[Joshua] wasn’t listening to Rob before they split. If you’re not going to listen and have that respect, then the relationship will break down.
Rob knew that [the first fight with Oleksandr] Usyk would be their last together. Rob’s happy not working with AJ any more because he doesn’t want to work with someone who’s not going to listen. Rob’s not just going to stick around for the money.”
Since splitting from McCracken, who guided Joshua to Olympic gold, then to the IBF, WBA and WBO world heavyweight titles, Joshua has had one fight with Robert Garcia – the unsuccessful rematch against Usyk – and one fight with Derrick James against Jermaine Franklin, which was a unanimous points win back in April.
James remains in Joshua’s corner for his upcoming rematch with fellow Brit Dillian Whyte in London in August, and he has recently had lots of praise for the American.