There were a few eyebrows raised when it was revealed last year that Ben Davison would be training Anthony Joshua for his December 23rd clash with Otto Wallin, given Davison’s previous allegiance to Tyson Fury.
After Joshua looked back to his destructive best as he scored a fifth round stoppage win over former Fury foe Wallin, it came as little surprise when an announcement came that he would continue training at Davison’s gym in Essex.
Davison guided ‘The Gypsy King’ out of his prolonged hiatus from boxing due to mental health struggles, training him for his bouts with Sefer Seferi, Francesco Pianeta and his first fight with Deontay Wilder.
Many have wondered what the 35-year-old’s thoughts on his former coach linking up with arch-rival are – and it turns out he’s happy for them.
In a recent interview with The Stomping Ground, the WBC heavyweight champion explained he believes it’s a move Joshua should have made “years ago.”
“I thought it was a good link-up, I said years ago he [AJ] should have probably done that.
“Ben lives right round the corner from him, he’s a fun guy to be around and he’s a good trainer.
“I don’t see why AJ needed to travel to America when he could get good training in the UK, so that’s fantastic for him.”
Joshua has his second outing under Davison’s tutelage this Friday night, when he takes on former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.
In his professional boxing debut back in October, Ngannou gave Fury all he could handle in a jaw dropping performance in Saudi Arabia, even dropping the Brit on route to a razor-thin split decision loss.
Despite that showing, most observers are picking Joshua to get past ‘The Predator’ and set up a showdown with the winner of the undisputed fight between Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, recently rescheduled for May 18th.
