Anthony Joshua has taken on Robert McCracken, the Great Britain Olympic team coach, as part of his team ahead of the second defence of his IBF world heavyweight title against the Mexican American Eric Molina in Manchester on 10 December.
His current coach, Tony Sims, will still be the lead second in the corner but Joshua reckons McCracken, who the trained three-time world super-middleweight champion Carl Froch and worked with Joshua when he won Olympic gold in 2012, will bring extra expertise to his development.
They already have a strong relationship and Joshua, a regular at Great Britain training camps, flew to Rio in the summer to support the Olympic boxing squad.
“I have remained close to Rob and the GB Boxing squad since 2012,” Joshua said on Thursday. “I have consistently turned to him for advice and guidance so I am really excited to have him in my corner.
“I would like to put on record my thanks to Tony Sims, who will remain in my corner working with Rob, as he did to such [effect] with Carl Froch.”
McCracken said: “Anthony is a special talent and I am looking forward to working with him on the next stage of his career as he looks to defend his titles and, ultimately, to unify the heavyweight division.
“I know from working with Carl that combining my work coaching a top professional boxer with the role of GB performance director has mutual benefits and that having a world champion in the gym has a very positive impact on the whole of the squad.
“It gives the boxers an insight into what it takes to be the best in the world and provides top-class training opportunities that will help to develop and improve the heavyweight and super-heavyweight boxers in the squad.”
