Former super-middleweight champion of the world and Robert McCracken trained fighter, Carl Froch, insists that Anthony Joshua should not have left his old boss ahead of the Oleksandr Usyk rematch.
Joshua parted ways with McCracken after the first Usyk fight back in 2021, but Froch has insisted that this is the wrong move for AJ and that McCracken was the right man to take Joshua forward and help him get revenge over Usyk in the rematch.
Froch and former world featherweight champion, Barry McGuigan, believe that Joshua must come in with an aggressive game plan and aim to land his big shots on Usyk early. If Joshua is to win, both McGuigan and Froch believe he will have to break the Ukrainian superstar down and knock him out.
Froch Slams AJ For Leaving McCracken
Former super-middleweight king and British boxing legend, Carl ‘The Cobra’ Froch, has slammed Anthony Joshua for parting ways with long time trainer and friend, Robert McCracken.
Joshua and McCracken have worked together since Joshua was at the Sheffield Institute of Sport, when training with team GB ahead of the London 2012 Olympics, which Joshua won a gold medal at super-heavyweight in boxing.
Since then and since turning professional, McCracken has been with for former two-time heavyweight champion of the world. McCracken had more of a backseat impact early on in Joshua’s career, but as soon as Joshua was getting to world level, McCracken came to the forefront with his supreme knowledge and understand of the sport.
McCracken was the trainer of Carl Froch for his whole career, including those memorable nights against Lucian Bute, and not to mention the George Groves rematch in which Froch knocked Groves out cold in front of 80,000 people at Wembley Stadium.
However, Froch believes that AJ moving on from McCracken is a bad move, and that he needs to ‘sort his head out’ if he has any chance of getting revenge on Oleksandr Usyk in their highly anticipated rematch on August 20th in Saudi Arabi.
Speaking recently in an interview with Boxing Social, Froch has this to say on AJ leaving McCracken, “The first thing he needs to do before he gets in that ring is get his head sorted out. I don’t think he should have left Rob McCracken but this change might do him good because it might just reignite something and get him thinking differently.”
Joshua has moved on and will be trained by legendary coach, Robert Garcia, who will aim to come up with a game plan that can help Joshua win the heavyweight titles back off Usyk and get revenge after a poor display in the first fight.
Joshua Needs To Adopt A More Aggressive Game Plan, Says Froch
Froch does still believe that Joshua has all the tools necessary to be able to win back his world heavyweight crowns and beat Oleksandr Usyk in the rematch. Froch thinks that Joshua needs to use his size and strength advantage if he is to have any chance of beating the Ukrainian king.
The former super-middleweight world champion turned boxing pundit and commentator told Boxing Social, that it’s all about Joshua bringing a new game plan in the rematch:
“Everyone’s already said it, but he’s the bigger stronger man so if he can he can use those attributes he can get the win.
“He needs to get his head right and start to believe in himself, otherwise it’s going to go wrong for him – he needs to be a lot more aggressive.”
Barry McGuigan Agrees With Froch That AJ Needs To Be More Aggressive
Former world champion boxer turned boxing promotor and manager, Barry McGuigan, agrees with Froch and believes that if Joshua is more aggressive and uses his substantial size attributes more, he will be able to right the wrongs of the first fight and beat Usyk in their rematch in Jeddah on August 20th.
The Irish boxing legend had this to say on Joshua’s chance in the rematch and how he can win the fight:
“He’s [Joshua] got the physicality to win it. He’s got to get his tactics right and apply those tactics.
“In my mind just go and walk the guy down. Use a solid job, hit him hard to the body then lift your shots up as the fight goes on. Just grind him down, walk him down, use your physical strength. That’s the way he’s going to win the fight, nothing else. It’s not that complicated.”
Oleksandr Usyk vs Anthony Joshua 2 Odds
The best offshore sports betting sites have the champion, Oleksandr Usyk, set at -200 odds to win while the underdog, Anthony Joshua, sits at +163 odds.
Check out the best boxing betting odds for Oleksandr Usyk vs Anthony Joshua 2 from BetOnline, one of the top US sports betting sites.
| Moneyline | Odds | Play |
|---|---|---|
| Oleksandr Usyk | -200 |  |
| Anthony Joshua | +163 | |
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