Former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has revealed a major overhaul in his training setup, announcing that he has parted ways with his coach and is now preparing for his next fight under the guidance of Oleksandr Usyk’s team.
Joshua made the announcement during the press conference for his December 19 bout against Jake Paul in Miami, which will be streamed live on Netflix. When asked if Ben Davison was still his trainer, Joshua confirmed the separation, noting that he needed a change of environment.
“No, I won’t be trained by Ben Davison,” he said. “I was invited to train with Team Usyk. I’ve been in Spain, putting in good work. He’s one of the best in the world — not just Usyk himself, but the entire team around him.”
Joshua, who suffered back-to-back defeats to Usyk in 2021 and 2022, said training with the Ukrainian champion’s camp has offered valuable insight and presented a new challenge. He disclosed that he has already been working with them for “a couple of months,” although he is not sparring with Usyk, who is training elsewhere.
The December 19 fight marks Joshua’s return to the ring 15 months after his knockout loss to Daniel Dubois.
Jake Paul, however, appeared unfazed by Joshua’s dramatic camp shake-up.
“It’s great. He’s training with the best in the world — we expect that,” Paul said. “I want the best version of Anthony Joshua on December 19. You’ll see the best Jake Paul ever, and we’ll find out who’s better.”
The fighters’ first face-off underscored the massive physical disparity between them: Joshua stands five inches taller, outweighs Paul by 50 pounds, and has a six-inch reach advantage. Fans on social media reacted with concern for Paul, with one writing, “It’s over for him,” and another predicting, “Joshua is going to give him serious damage.”
The undercard for the event will feature UFC icons Anderson Silva and Tyron Woodley facing off once again, while Alycia Baumgardner will defend her super featherweight titles against Leila Beaudoin in the co-main event.
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