Anthony Joshua will have a renowned voice in his corner for his upcoming heavyweight title rematch against Oleksandr Usyk.
The London-based Joshua confirmed that he will be working with veteran trainer Robert Garcia of Riverside, California, to prepare for his heavyweight clash with WBO, WBA, and IBF champion Usyk later this summer. The two fighters are projected to fight in Saudi Arabia, possibly on July 23, although recent reports suggest the fight could take place as late as the middle of August.
Sky Sports noted on Wednesday that the event would land at the Jeddah Super Dome.
Garcia, a former champion as a junior lightweight and who is regarded as an offensive-minded tactician, is known for his work with top fighters such as his younger brother Mikey Garcia, Jose Ramirez, Jesse Rodriguez, and (formerly) Vergil Ortiz. Garcia, who runs the Garcia Boxing Academy in Riverside, has also trained the retired likes of Brandon Rios, Abner Mares, and Marcos Maidana. The 47-year-old Garcia has led 14 boxers to world titles.
News of the choice was first reported by Mike Coppinger of ESPN.
The choice of Garcia seemingly closes Joshua’s long search for another instructor. Joshua famously went on a tour of boxing gyms in the United States last year after his points loss to Usyk in September at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. In addition to Garcia, Joshua also visited Ronnie Shields, Virgil Hunter, and Eddy Reynoso.
Joshua (24-2, 22 KOs) had trouble getting his offense off against Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs), whose mobility and feints kept the puncher at bay. Joshua's selection of Garcia presumably is an attempt to rectify and improve Joshua's overall ring strategy against the skilled Ukrainian southpaw.
In a recent interview, an enthused Joshua noted that Garcia was already in London working with him. Joshua made it clear that Garcia would be focused on fine-tuning certain things as opposed to making wholesale stylistic changes.
“Garcia’s right here now,” Joshua said in a brief interview with IFL TV. “We’re just working on a few things. It’s not about changing style as such, in my opinion. Garcia’s style might be crouch down and bob and weave, but I’m a six-foot-six heavyweight. It’s not about changing style, it’s about his experience and what he knows at the championship level, etc. Adding that to the camp is priceless in my opinion.”
Joshua added, “The main thing is a happy fighter is a dangerous fighter. I’m in a good place. I’m all good.”
In the same IFL TV interview, David Ghansa, one of Joshua’s close confidants, stated that Garcia would be working in tandem with Angel Fernandez, a longtime assistant trainer on Joshua’s team and whom Joshua previously stated would be assuming head training duties over Robert McCracken, Joshua’s former chief trainer.
Ghansa made it clear that there was no hierarchy between Garcia and Fernandez, and that the two trainers were in a kind of partnership, working together side-by-side.
“We’ve had him back in the UK on two different occasions,” Ghansa said of Garcia. “He spent two weeks with us in London. He’s been in Northborough for another two weeks. It was actually married through Angel. Angel Fernandez and Robert Garcia, they clicked. Angel liked what Robert has to offer, his experience, their similarities. Ever since they’ve been chopping it up.”
Ghansa noted that Garcia would also be working with Fernandez in the corner of cruiserweight Richard Riakporhe, a training mate of Joshua, when Riakporhe takes on Fabio Turchi in the main event of a card on June 11 at Wembley Arena.
“Now he’s (Garcia) here as part of Angel’s team,” Ghansa said. “I think next week when [Riakporhe] is out you’ll see Garcia in the corner with Angel.
“I guess we have no titles, but they both have mutual respect and understand what they’re doing and what they’re working towards.
“I wouldn’t put any of them above each other but they both understand their positions and where they play with each other. You’ll get a taste of it next week when you see Riakporhe’s corner.”
