Former super middleweight champion Carl Froch explains that Anthony Joshua has all of the necessary attributes to turn things around in a rematch with Oleksandr Usyk.
In September, Usyk outboxed Joshua over twelve rounds to capture the IBF, IBO, WBO, WBA titles at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Joshua has exercised an immediate rematch clause, with dates in April being explored for the second contest.
There is talk of Joshua hiring a new head trainer for the fight – or at the very least expand his team with an additional veteran coach.
Joshua has been trained by Robert McCracken since the amateur ranks.
Froch, who himself was trained by McCracken as a pro, believes Joshua should avoid the scenario of making changes to his current team.
“I think Anthony Joshua needs to rediscover the same explosive style and ruthless instinct that he showed in that win over Wladimir Klitschko. He’s bigger, stronger with more height and reach than Oleksandr Usyk. He’s got all the physical attributes needed to win that fight. He must rekindle the fire that brought some destructive wins earlier in his career. He is big enough and powerful enough to beat anybody, especially Usyk who is much smaller in comparison,” Froch told Sky Sports.
“AJ has talked about adding new trainers, but I think he should just remain with Rob McCracken and instead make his team smaller. That’s what worked for me, I worked with Rob throughout my career, but I’m not Anthony Joshua. I was meticulous, I thought about a lot, but I put a lot of trust in my coach. My belief in my coach was unquestionable.”