Anthony Joshua officially parts ways with Ben Davison as he announces who will coach him next
Anthony Joshua will have a new trainer in his corner for his controversial fight with Jake Paul next month.
It was confirmed this week that Joshua and Paul will meet in a shock eight-round heavyweight match at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida on December 19, with the event being streamed live on Netflix.
Paul was originally scheduled to meet WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis this month, but after “Tank” was named in a civil lawsuit regarding domestic allegations, the main event was canceled, meaning Paul has now gone from a 135-pound fighter who stands 5-foot-5 to a former heavyweight world champion who stands 6-foot-6 and has weighed over 250 pounds on multiple occasions.
AJ was last in action in September 2024 when he suffered a fifth-round knockout loss to Daniel Dubois in their IBF heavyweight title fight at Wembley Stadium in London, and he had trainer Ben Davison in his corner for that fight.
The Briton announced at the launch press conference with Paul that he had parted ways with Davison, confirming recent reports that he would instead be trained by the coaching team that works with current heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk.
“So no, I won’t be coached by Ben Davison. I said London was a bit of a distraction for me. I was invited to train with Team Usyk, so I’ve been to Spain, we’ve had some good training and he’s one of the best in the world and that’s not just because of him, but also his team, so I’ve linked up with them.
“Having a glimpse of how someone who has accomplished so much has been phenomenal. Igor [will be my head trainer on the night]. I’ve been with them for a few months now.
Joshua – who later said he spoke to Davison about the decision and the British coach said it was a good idea – knows Usyk well, having lost two fights to the Ukrainian in 2021 and 2022, and now hopes the decision to join his former rival’s organization will allow him to achieve similar success.
This isn’t the first time AJ has made drastic changes to his training staff, having also worked with Rob McCracken, Robert Garcia and Derrick James in the past.
