Anthony Joshua claims he will beat Oleksandr Usyk without a trainer, says Eddie Hearn
- Joe Hewlett
- 3 February 2022
Joshua is expected to take on Usyk in May with a chance to become a three-time heavyweight world champion.
Anthony Joshua has claimed he will beat Oleksandr Usyk without a trainer, according to promoter Eddie Hearn.
The Londoner, 32, is preparing for an upcoming rematch against the Ukrainian but is yet to confirm a new coach after departing with Rob McCracken.
Ronnie Shields - known for his work with Jermall Charlo - and Eddy Reynoso are two trainers who have been linked to Joshua.
At one point, it was reported by the Telegraph that Joshua was on the verge of agreeing a £15million step aside fee to allow Usyk and Tyson Fury to collide.
However, Fury will now face Dillian Whyte in an all-British blockbuster under Frank Warren's Queensberry Promotions.
Hearn has since revealed Joshua's motivation ahead of his rematch against Usyk.
"There's nothing else," said Hearn to MMA Hour when asked if Joshua vs Usyk fight takes place in May. "The only other thing I was looking at because there was a lot of money on the table was this other deal, but there's no other fight.
"Again, that's the fight [Usyk], and that's the fight that AJ wanted. He will make changes to his training team.
"But when I sat down with him last Monday about the step aside, he said, 'I'll beat Usyk.' I said, 'But you haven't started working with your new trainer yet.' He said, 'I'll beat him without a trainer.'
"He's pumped for that fight, and it's a really tough fight," Hearn added.
"By the way, Fury is no muck. He knows how good Usyk is. That's why he didn't want to fight him off the bat. He's really good. So it's a tough fight for AJ. I just hope that AJ gets the credit for the fights that he takes.
"How many fighters honestly would have taken the Usyk fight if they were in Joshua's position? How many would have vacated the belt and gone, 'Oh, no, we're going down another route.'
"He wants this fight, and now he's fighting him again straight off the bat," said Hearn about Joshua wanting the rematch with Usyk. "So May time is when we're planning on doing that fight in the UK.," Hearn said about the rematch between Usyk and Joshua.
