Following recent speculation of Anthony Joshua’s spilt from coach Robert Garcia after just one fight, Buddy McGirt has suggested that the Brit should go back to his roots and re-appoint Rob McCracken.
McGirt was a two-weight world champion at super-lightweight and welterweight and has since gone on to further cement his legacy in the sport as a world-class trainer.
The 58-year-old has trained world champions such as Arturo Gatti, Paulie Malignaggi, Sergey Kovalev and more recently, Zhanibek Alimkhanuly.
He’s now also the man in the corner for one of Joshua’s rivals, Dillian Whyte. They had their first camp together in preparation for the Jermaine Franklin, a close fight that Whyte won by decision.
Joshua made the switch from Rob McCracken, who he had been with throughout his career, to Robert Garcia for his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk.
However, following defeat to the former undisputed cruiserweight champion for the second time, it now seems Joshua has axed Garcia and is travelling around the United States in search of a new man in his corner.
Speaking to iD Boxing, McGirt believes, that Joshua would be better off going back to those who know him best.
“You know what I think he should do? Come home. Come home, get the guys he started out with, the guys he won the championship with. Get them. They know him better than anybody. No one is going to make a difference to him overnight, it’s going to take time.
So, if he gets another trainer, cool, but don’t get another trainer and get into a super fight. No, take a lesser fight. That would be the smart way to do it, I believe, that is my opinion.
You don’t get a new trainer and jump into a big fight, no, but that is what everyone is doing. Then if it don’t work out, they want to blame the new trainer. You can’t blame the new trainer, you guys got to get a chemistry together, especially if you have been fighting a long time.”
The decision ultimately lies with ‘AJ’, and if he makes a switch again and it pays off, then the move will be praised.
However, as McGirt suggests, it may be advised to have a batch of ‘lesser fights’ to rebuild his confidence and make another run at a world title shot.
Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, has revealed that AJ will most likely return to the ring at the end of March or beginning of April with the O2 arena in London seemingly the venue.