ANGEL FERNANDEZ is the boxing coach who helped rebuild Anthony Joshua – and it all started after one shock message on Instagram.
AJ recruited Fernandez as an extra set of eyes in camp following his upset loss to Andy Ruiz Jr in 2019.
Together with head coach Rob McCracken and Joby Clayton, they helped mastermind Joshua’s revenge mission six months later.
He recaptured the heavyweight throne but two years on and he finds himself in the same spot.
But this time, AJ parted ways with long-time trainer McCracken and assistant Clayton, keeping only Fernandez in the camp.
The Spanish coach is now joined by esteemed American Robert Garcia ahead of Joshua’s rematch with Oleksandr Usyk.
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Fernandez was also in the corner last September in the loss to Usyk, but he has been more front and centre heading into the second fight.
His story started when he began martial arts as a teenager, but boxing came to him late.
At 22, Fernandez turned to kickboxing in Lanzarote but after sparring with Spanish boxing champ Alexis Callero, he fell in love with the sweet science.
Fernandez then moved to the UK with his girlfriend and began boxing as an amateur, with Epsom and Crawley.
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He won all ten of his amateur bouts, winning Sussex and Surrey titles.
But the working life meant it was impossible for Fernandez to focus only on boxing as he later became a personal trainer.
As a PT, the Spaniard would incorporate boxing into his sessions and began making friends in the business.
His aspirations to start coaching full-time were then realised when he met two the modern greats, Ismael Salas and Jorge Rubio.
Fernandez had a few boxers under his belt but got his first break training cruiserweight contender Isaac Chamberlain.
Eventually, others would follow, including light-welterweight O’Hara Davies and amateur standout Sultan Zaurbek.
Fernandez was having success as a coach but it was in 2019 when his life changed forever.
Joshua was coming off a seventh-round stoppage loss to Ruiz and was looking to add to his team.
AJ then followed Fernandez on Instagram, but the cornerman was left unassuming.
He told JOE at the time: “I remember I was scrolling Instagram and all of a sudden Anthony Joshua started following me.
“I’m like, ‘Nah, that can’t be right.’ I got excited, [but] I was thinking, ‘This guy’s gonna unfollow me two days later.’
“I started off saying [via DM], ‘Appreciate your follow champ, best of luck in the fight.’
“He said, ‘Thank you so much.’ He was being very welcoming to me.”
Joshua later asked Fernandez to come and see him in his gym, and one of his team members reached out to the coach to organise it.
But after one of a scheduled two sessions together, AJ popped the question.
Fernandez revealed: “I was in ongoing talks with the team and I went one Saturday to do a session with him, then I went in on Sunday and that was it.
“He came up with the news, he said, ‘Listen, we want you part of the team.’”
After beating Ruiz, 32, over 12 rounds in Saudi Arabia, Joshua would go on to knock out Kubrat Pulev, 41, in December 2020.
A undisputed title decider with Tyson Fury, 34, then collapsed leaving AJ to face mandatory challenger Usyk, 35.
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Joshua adopted box-and-move tactics which failed miserably, with the Ukrainian running out the winner on points.
AJ later packed up and left his Sheffield HQ and joined Fernandez in Loughborough, where he trains Richard Riakporhe and Frazer Clarke.
The two then toured the States looking for another trainer, visiting Virgil Hunter, Ronnie Shields and Eddy Reynoso.
Eventually it was Mexican-American Garcia who got the gig, but not because AJ chose him.
Joshua, 32, told Behind The Gloves: “I said to Angel, my head coach in London, ‘Can you choose who you want to work with’.
“Angel has to be comfortable working with Garcia and Garcia has to be comfortable working with Angel in order for them to give me the best.
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“I just can’t think Garcia is good but Angel doesn’t like him and I’m trying to make that relationship work.
“Those two get along well and it’s worked really well.”
Together with ex-world champion Garcia, Fernandez leads Joshua into the fight of his life on Saturday in Jeddah.
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
