By Jack Tiernan: Trainer Robert Garcia says he & Angel Fernandez are seeing improvement in the aggressiveness of Anthony Joshua ahead of his August 20th rematch with unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.
Joshua (24-2, 22 KOs) is receptive to the teaching from Robert and wants to “hurt” somebody with the way his mind has been altered.
Garcia has been working steadily with Joshua since last December, and he’s had a lot of time to make the needed changes in his game to avenge his loss from last September against Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs).
Robert doesn’t need to make considerable improvements in Joshua to win because he came close to getting the victory last time when he was fighting Usyk’s game.
What’s just as important as turning Joshua into an aggressive fighter is ensuring his stamina is up to par for him to fight hard for 12 rounds without fading.
AJ more aggressive
“Week by week, we see a lot of improvement in Anthony Joshua and five weeks left of hard training. He’s going to get better & better, so by the time the fight comes, he’s going to be 100% ready,” said trainer Robert Garcia to Secondsout.
“He’s got to be with a team that wants him to win, wants him to perform, and wants him to be a little bit tougher. I think that’s what I bring in.
“Me & Angel Fernandez are pushing him to be aggressive, to be a mean guy in the ring, to hurt anyone in front of him. He’s been doing that lately, and I’m very happy and pleased with how things are going.
“He’s got insane power, probably more than anyone in the division. So use it, why not? Look for that power punch; look to hurt his opponent,” said Robert.
Joshua wants to hurt somebody
“I’ve been here [the UK] for two months already, and we still have six weeks left, but I’ve been coming back & forth since December,” said Garcia. “We’ve been working on the same things since last December, so I think that’s more than enough time.
“Angel Fernandez also does a great job. We’re always communicating about what he’s doing, and he’s doing exactly what the plan is. So, I think we’ll be more than ready.
“You know what? I think he wasn’t thinking and prepared to win the fight,” said Robert when asked why Joshua lost the first fight against Usyk last September.
“From what he told me, he was just thinking of going all 12 rounds. He never thought, ‘I got to win the fight. I just need to go 12 rounds.’ So that makes a big difference.
“Now, he’s thinking of winning and thinking of hurting somebody. That’s the most important thing. He’s got to be confident with his team.
AJ being prepared to win by KO
“It doesn’t matter. Matchroom & DAZN are our home,” said Robert when asked about his thoughts on broadcast rights about Sky Sports being the ones that will show the Joshua vs. Usyk II rematch in the UK.
“It doesn’t matter. Two guys are going to be in the ring, and we’re preparing Anthony for the mentality that he’s got to go out and win by knockout. It doesn’t matter which TV station, which TV network shows the fight. We’re going to go in there with the same mentality.
“After we get the win, we’ve got to go celebrate. I’ve got to go back work because I’ve got a lot of fights in September and October at the end of the year, so I’ve got a lot of work.
“Maybe take a few days off, but I’ve got a lot of work because I’ve got a lot of fighters,” said Robert.
