Anthony Joshua has now officially named Derrick James as his new head trainer ahead of his comeback fight against Jermaine Franklin on April 1.
The former unified world heavyweight champion is set to return following the loss to Oleksandr Usyk as he takes on the American contender who was last seen fighting Dillian Whyte in November.
Instagram – Derrick James
AJ once visited the Derrick James gymnasium in Texas and now the couple will work out together
AJ previously trained at Sheffield with Robert McCracken for much of his career until his first loss to Usyk in 2021.
He then parted ways with his longtime mentor and traveled to the United States to seek new coaches.
Joshua decided to partner with Robert Garcia and brought him to the UK to prepare for the second fight with Usyk.
After the second loss, AJ decided to turn things around once again.
He once again flew to America to test different coaches, this time landing on James as his preferred choice.
James is the trainer of unified WBA, WBC and IBF welterweight world champion Errol Spence and undisputed WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO super welterweight king Jermell Charlo.
Franklin is Joshua’s next opponent
He guided Spence and Charlo to unification victories in 2022 and was considered by many to be the deserving coach of the year.
Joshua left for Texas and will now train in the United States for the first time.
News of Joshua’s affair with James was one of boxing’s worst-kept secrets and was officially confirmed with the announcement of Franklin’s fight on Monday.
The line from the press release read: “Anthony Joshua (24-3, 22 KOs) fights at London’s O2 for the first time since 2016 as he begins life under new head coach Derrick James .”
Derrick James – Instagram
James (left) was widely regarded as the 2022 Coach of the Year after leading Errol Spence and Jermell Charlo to unification victories
Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, told the DAZN Boxing Show: “I want to say one thing – get ready for Anthony Joshua to come back…
“Because this guy is in Texas, he works and works every day. This guy’s got money in the bank, he’s got world championship belts on the wall, he doesn’t care about either.
“He cares about the sport of boxing, he cares about winning back his world heavyweight title and I tell you he’s coming back with a vengeance.
“Anyone who wants to doubt Anthony Joshua, this guy is a handsome young man who is about to re-assault the world heavyweight title.
“And I can’t wait. I’m so excited. I’m more excited than when this journey started. Write it off at your own risk.
