Anthony Joshua Heading To U.S. To Train For April Return

By: Sean Crose

“I know who the new trainer is,” Eddie Hearn tells DAZN of his fighter, Anthony Joshua’s search for a new trainer. “It’s quite a personal thing really.” In other words, Hearn, is going to let Joshua himself reveal who the new face will be in his corner, though it’s rumored that the man is going to be Derrick James. “I think it’s for a fighter to announce that, with his new team,” Hearn continues. “I speak a lot, I do a lot of interviews. I’ll speak on his fights.” Whoever the trainer may be, if it’s someone new it will be the third trainer in as many fights for Joshua.

With that being said, Hearn makes it clear that Joshua aims to hop across the Atlantic once again to train in the United States. “He is going to train in America and he is going to start that camp in the next week, he’ll be flying out. So you guys will get the news soon,” he says. “The problem is being in the UK,” adds Hearn, “he can’t breathe. When he goes to America, people know he is, but it’s like a different world.” Ultimately, Hearn makes it clear he feels heading stateside is the right move for his fighter. “I think it’s going to be really good for him. I think you’re going to see a reinvigorated Anthony Joshua.”

One thing that isn’t a mystery is when Joshua will return to the ring. “April 1st is our targeted date in London,” Hearn says. “I’ll go through the final list of opponents. We’re almost ready. He’s excited.” Hearn has indicated he feels Joshua needs to ease back into the heavyweight scene, so don’t expect the former titlist to be facing names like Fury or Wilder, or perhaps even Joyce come the spring.

It seems like just yesterday that Joshua was considered, if not the outright king of the heavyweight division, then one of a handful of people who could or eventually would be. Since that time, however, he’s dropped two in a row to Ukrainian skill set Oleksandr Usyk. Neither fight was particularly close. Now he’s in the process of once more getting comfortable in the ring before trying to face one of the division’s big dogs once again. With Usyk and Fury planning to fight at least once and Deontay Wilder and old Joshua foe Andy Ruiz possibly squaring off, there will be a lot of big names out there waiting for him.