ANTHONY JOSHUA has been using Ben Davison’s experience of working Tyson Fury’s corner to learn how to “exploit” Otto Wallin.
AJ will be under the guidance of Davison for the first time on Saturday night in Saudi Arabia in the absence of Derrick James.
And it was only four years ago the young coach was in the corner the night Fury survived a 47-stitch gash to beat Wallin on points.
It has given Joshua the perfect chance to pick Davison’s brains on how to approach the Swedish southpaw.
He said: “I was training with Ben Davison in the UK and this fight came up with seven weeks to go and it would have been crazy to pack up and go to the States.
“Derrick had Ryan Garcia too so I asked Ben and he said, ‘You work hard, cool’.
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“We’ve been using Ben’s Wallin experience from a tactics point-of-view, nothing to do with character
“I have never asked, “What was Fury like? What was his preparation like?’ Ben has more respect than to talk about his former fighters like that.
“We have looked at how to defeat Wallin and we know, he has things he can exploit.”
AJ ended his decade-long partnership with Team GB mastermind Rob McCracken after the second Oleksandr Usyk defeat in 2022, that cost him his hard-earned WBA, IBF and WBO belts.
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A handful of replacements have been in his corner since – from Angel Fernandez to James – but only Robert Garcia has publicly criticised him.
This Saudi showdown came at seven-weeks notice and James was tied up with a December 2 fight.
So Harlow-based Davison has helped his Hertfordshire neighbour and the heavyweight expects mutual loyalty and no lies.
Joshua explained: “I have been around a lot of coaches in my time, a lot of different gyms, which has been good.
“I was thinking the other day, ‘it will be interesting to hear what Ben has to say about me’.
“Because some of my trainers have said that I am not dedicated and I don’t work hard.
“But I have been around enough coaches now and if you did a survey you would probably get more proper answers than people that are chatting s***.
“I think it has been really good with Ben, as it has been with Derrick.
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“I have a great relationship with Derrick, he messaged me today actually but I have to stay focused, I am not on my phone as much, I am not replying to many people.
“Afterwards we will catch up and I am sure I will be back in Texas again working with him soon.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
