Anthony Joshua’s search for a new trainer is a frank admission of mistakes made and the need for change.
I would be surprised if any new trainer accepts Rob McCracken’s retention in the corner. Their authority would be undermined.
Joshua needs a new guy with a fresh approach in whom he has faith and who will work his corner on his own.
There is just no room for McCracken in that scenario. That’s the truth of it, despite the offer of an olive branch from Joshua for his old advisor.
Joshua is an attacking fighter. His whole career has been about being explosive but against Oleksandr Usyk he was timid. Where did that come from?
I looked at that fight and thought ‘what is he doing, what is going on?’
What did Joshua have over Usyk? Physicality, size, power. He could never match him for speed.
The nub of it is this: Did he have the confidence in his chin to walk in a take him out? You walk in you get hit harder. That’s the risk.
It seems the penny has finally dropped. Next time he is ready to go to ‘war’.
He has the qualities to beat Usyk but he didn’t deploy the right tactics.
Usyk is not a counter puncher, he likes to attack. He comes forward in 30-second bursts. He doesn’t like being backed up.
How do you counter that? You don’t give him room. You walk him down, particularly as Usyk is a southpaw.
Against lefties, you throw loads of right hands and keep them on the back foot. When you do that you can almost always land with a left hook too.
Joshua did not put the pressure on or throw enough right hands.
He has to be relentless. I spent a career doing it. I know what I’m talking about.
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It’s not complicated. You don’t try to outbox Usyk. You won’t do it.
Joshua has to walk him down intelligently. But it has to be worked through in sparring. The tactics were not right last time and the prompts from the corner were all wrong.
Joshua has reached that conclusion himself. He did not go to the United States for a holiday.
Usyk won’t change. He will come back and fight the same way.
It is Joshua who must alter his approach and be true to his fighting instincts.
In essence he must rediscover himself and free up the attributes that took him to the top of the heavyweight pile in the first place.
Follow Barry on Twitter at @ClonesCyclone, @McGuigans_Gym and @CyclonePromo
