Anthony Joshua’s new coach has compared his technical boxing ability to that of the others in his stable, and admits ‘AJ’ has got some catching up to do.
Derrick James works with some of the best fighters in the world, including pound for pound stars Errol Spence and Jermell Charlo, as well as highly rated lightweight contender Frank Martin.
In a recent interview on The DAZN Boxing Show, James revealed the gap in levels means he is forced to treat Joshua differently to some of the other boxers in his gym.
“I had to assess and I thought, “Okay, I can’t train him like I train Errol [Spence], Jermell [Charlo] or Frank [Martin]. Because he’s not where they are.”
“In terms of fame and success, of course he is. But it’s not about that. It’s about from the technical and educational aspect, he’s not where they are.”
“So some of the things they do, I can’t even think about doing with him.”
Joshua relocated to Dallas, Texas at the start of this year to work with James, who is his third trainer in his last three fights.
Fans bore witness to the pair’s first fight together this past weekend, when Joshua won a unanimous decision victory over Jermaine Franklin at the 02 Arena.
Despite the win, many were not impressed with Joshua’s performance after expecting him to finish Franklin and issue a statement to the rest of the heavyweight division.
There is a hope amongst Joshua’s backers that further improvements will be visible after he has spent more time under James, who is widely regarded as one of the best trainers in the sport.