13 December 2023 , 18:00
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Anthony Joshua has revealed he drafted in Tyson Fury's former coach to stop himself going crazy training on his own.
Joshua's principal trainer is Derrick James who is based in Dallas, but the Brit has been preparing for his fight with Otto Wallin in the UK. And to that end, Joshua has been working with Ben Davison who helped Fury return to the ring after a three-year hiatus.
Davison almost masterminded a victory over Deontay Wilder in 2018 when Fury was denied victory by the judges who controversially scored the fight a draw. Fury ultimately split with Davison for his second fight with Wilder and is now coached by SugarHill Steward.
And Joshua, who will take on Wallin next weekend, told the TNT Sports Boxing YouTube channel: "I've just been working with him. I'm based in America the majority of time for training camp but when I'm back here, instead of hitting the heavy bag by myself in the gym and making a hell of a state, I think it's good to work with a coach and sharpen my tools."
Joshua and Wallin will meet two days before Christmas on the same Saudi Arabian card as Deontay Wilder's clash with Joseph Parker. Joshua and Wilder are on a collision course for next year - assuming they win their respective fights.
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And Eddie Hearn, Joshua's promoter, believes the best is still to come for Joshua, who will step into the ring for a third time this year after victories against Jermaine Franklin and Helenius. Hearn said: “This is a tough fight. We saw (Wallin) against Tyson Fury, he’s a good southpaw and we have seen something different from AJ (Joshua).
“I think the best chapter is still to write for AJ. He changed the face of Saudi boxing and this is a challenge he wants to take. “He wants to be heavyweight champion again and I think this will be a destructive performance from him.”