Anthony Joshua’s new trainer, Derrick James, has advised that the British-Nigerian does not need more aggression ahead of his comeback fight against Jermaine Franklin at the 02 Arena in London.
The former two-time unified heavyweight champion is keen to get his career back on track by beating the American on April 1 after suffering consecutive defeats to champion Oleksandr Usyk and for that he has enlisted the help of world-renowned trainer, James.
While many have charged him to be more aggressive in the ring, James though, is confused as to why Joshua’s critics have continued to push him to stand and bang. In his view, being a bull doesn’t always lead to stellar results.
“He just has to be the best version of himself,” James told Seconds Out.
“And that’s not necessarily a dog because dogs are not always intelligent. A dog would fight a bear, he’s going to lose the fight but he’s going to fight a bear.”
Currently, James’ stable features some of the boxing world’s most recognisable stars in unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. and undisputed junior middleweight kingpin, Jermell Charlo.
Although both are aggressive by nature, James has helped mould them over the years. The results, of course, have been spectacular. In the case of Joshua, James is hoping to do much of the same. While he fully acknowledges that Joshua has plenty of God-given talent, James believes that Joshua’s brawn, coupled with his brains could lead to another victorious run.
“You have to be intelligent, you have to be smart and choose the right tactics and choose the right whatever to be successful.”
If he’s able to get back in the win column against Franklin, Joshua can look forward to potential fights with Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder or even former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.
