By: Sean Crose
Derrick James, the highly regarded, Texas-based coach of Errol Spence and Jermell Charlo, now has another notable boxer paying for his services – former heavyweight Anthony Joshua. After losing two games in a row to Oleksandr Usyk, the towering Londoner is looking for someone he hopes can change the direction of his career lately. At James, Joshua feels he has found the right person. Rob McCracken previously served as Joshua’s coach, before Robert Garcia took over power for a time shooting. Now, with James in his corner, Joshua is said to have traveled to Texas to start work.
News of the Joshua-James alliance comes shortly after it was reported earlier this week that Joshua would return to the ring on the first of April to take on American rival Jermaine Franklin. Though Franklin isn’t considered a top force at heavyweight, he’s nothing if not a quality adversary, one that has long-time leading contender Dillian Whyte run for his money. us not long ago. The Joshua-Franklin bout will take place at the O2 Arena in London, so Joshua will once again perform in front of his hometown crowd, as he sometimes does.
“There are hopes,” Daily mail wrote, “that James’ rigorous training routine will likely help Joshua return victorious over Franklin.” Joshua lost the WBA, IBF and WBO world titles to Usyk the first time they met again in 2021. After losing to Usyk again in a rematch last year, it’s clear that the losses are consecutively affected this man. , who then gave a rambling speech to a live audience after the battle. What Joshua needs right now more than anything is to bounce back from his win.
In that sense, Franklin was an ideal opponent for the hardcore British. Though not as highly regarded as Tyson Fury or Deontay Wilder, Franklin is considered an adversary strong enough to pose a challenge to the boxer known as “AJ”. In other words, while Franklin wasn’t expected to win, he wasn’t seen as someone who easily reached the previous world title either. If the Joshua-James combination goes well this spring, one can expect to see the Texan return to Joshua’s side as Joshua once again faces notable opponents in the division. weight.
