Anthony Joshua has confirmed he will be working with Oleksandr Usyk’s training team as he prepares for his upcoming fight with Jake Paul.
AJ confirmed the news during Friday’s press conference announcing the bout, which is scheduled for December 19 at the Kaseya Center and features a staggering £140million prize pot to be split evenly between the two-time heavyweight world champion and the 28-year-old YouTuber-turned-boxer.
The eight-round contest will be fought over three-minute rounds with 10oz gloves and marks Joshua’s first return to the ring since his devastating defeat to Daniel Dubois 14 months ago.
Following that loss, Joshua parted ways with trainer Ben Davison. Rumours quickly circulated that he was considering a link-up with Usyk’s camp.
Fuel was added to the speculation when Joshua was spotted ringside with Usyk and the Ukrainian’s camp manager Sergey Lapin during Saul Canelo Alvarez’s fight with William Scull.
More recently, Joshua was seen training alongside Usyk’s strength and conditioning coach, intensifying talk of a full-time switch.
Anthony Joshua has revealed that he has been training with Oleksandr Usyk’s camp ahead of meeting Jake Paul
The pair last met in Saudi Arabia in 2022 with Joshua defeated by the Ukrainian twice
Joshua has now confirmed the move, revealing he will train with Usyk’s team in the lead-up to the Paul fight.
‘I have been invited to train with Team Usyk,’ Joshua said. ‘He is the best in the world and I have been in Spain with them.
‘I have been training with them for a few weeks.’
Paul admitted that the prospect was a formidable one, adding: ‘He is training with the best in the world. He is one of the best in the world so we expect nothing less.
‘I want the best version. It is a big mistake to look past this. Don’t arrange flights and hotels, I am knocking this guy out, becoming the CEO of Matchroom and it’s me vs Tyson Fury next year.
‘Looks at the plans they had list time they came to America. Andy Ruiz stopped that.’
This will mark AJ’s fourth trainer since his split with Rob McCracken.
Following his split from McCracken, the coach who guided him to 24 victories in 26 bouts, Joshua has spent time training under Robert Garcia and later Derrick James, eventually linking up with Davison in 2023.
Having lost to Usyk twice, Joshua will no doubt hope to tap into the expertise that once outclassed him as he seeks to rebuild his career before potentially facing Tyson Fury in 2026.