By Charles Brun: David Price doesn’t believe Anthony Joshua was on the level when he recently remarked that he’d be using a game plan for the first time in his career when he faces Oleksandr Usyk in their rematch.
Price says he’s seen Joshua (24-2, 22 KOs) using what appeared to be a game plan in some of his past fights. Moreover, Price doesn’t believe AJ’s former trainer Robert McCracken would have him go into any of his contests without a game plan.
If Joshua chose to ignore the game plans given to him and fight on instinct, that’s something else, says Price.
It seems crazy to imagine a 2012 Olympic gold medalist like Joshua not having the discipline to follow a game plan.
If Joshua chose not to follow the game plans given to him by his past coaches, what does that tell you about his confidence in them?
Assuming you trust your coach, you will listen to their instructions and follow what they say in your fights. Did Joshua lack confidence in McCracken and his other past coaches all these years?
Did Joshua ignore the game plans given to him?
“He’s obviously trying to bring the dog out in him, which is what he’s going to need,” said David Price to Pro Boxing Fans about Anthony Joshua’s new trainer Robert Garcia.
“Unless Joshua dismissed any information going into a fight and left it in the dressing room and fought on instinct,” said Price in reacting to Joshua saying he’ll be using a game plan for the first time in his career in his rematch with Usyk.
If Joshua has been ignoring game plans all these years, who’s to say he would forget what his new coach Robert Garcia comes up with for his rematch with Usyk?
It’s entirely possible that when the going gets tough against Usyk, Joshua will do whatever he pleases, revert to the gunshy manner he’s been fighting in since his loss to Andy Ruiz Jr. in 2019.
To be sure, Joshua has picked an excellent replacement coach in Robert Garcia as his new trainer, but if he’s not going to follow his game plans, he might as well have only a cutman in his corner during his rematch with Usyk.
As the saying goes, ‘You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.‘ If Joshua is too stubborn & unwilling to follow the game plan that Robert Garcia gives him, he might as well dump him now and use his cutman or one of his buddies in his corner to give him pep talks between rounds.
“He might be talking about it that way, but there’s no way Robert McCracken or any good trainer has got someone to where they’ve got to without having a game plan, without having a strategy and tactics,” said Price about Joshua.
“He might have just let it slip that he just got in the ring and fought on instinct and just fought on adrenalin. The game plan is out the window. I don’t believe that because we’ve seen [Joshua’s] fights where there’s obviously been a game plan.
“In all of his fights, probably theoretically, but emotionally and mentally, he might have left it at the door,” said Price about Joshua.
“He’s tried a few different trainers. He used Angel Garcia for the [Andy] Ruiz rematch and boxed brilliantly,” Price continued about Joshua. “He was like Lennox Lewis boxing against David Tua.
“He was light on his feet, lovely jab. He never got out of second gear and won by a landslide. Garcia isn’t going to bring out what Joshua needs against Usyk because that won’t work against Usyk.
“Obviously, he’s picked [Robert] Garcia for a reason. It’s a big business decision that is going to have a big impact on whether he’s going to win this fight or not. He’s tried a few others and seen something in him.
“You can only go with what his judgment is. He’s trained Brandon Rios and fighters like that,” said Price about Robert Garcia. “He’s massively experienced in big fights.
“It’s good that he’s done it. He’s made his mind up. The longer it went without him [Joshua] making his mind up, the less time he had to spend with whoever he picked. It was a surprise. I didn’t see it coming, and I don’t think anyone did,” said Price.
