Anthony Joshua has basked in the limelight for nearly a decade since clinching gold at the 2012 Olympics in London. Despite three career losses, the scrutiny surrounding him has only intensified. His upcoming fight with Otto Wallin will see British trainer Ben Davison in his corner. While the reasons for this temporary hiring are clear, there appears to be some confusion about the nature of this relationship and why it unfolded.
The scrutiny surrounding British heavyweight Anthony Joshua (26-3, 23 KO’s) seems to portray his decision to hire Ben Davison for December 23 as another sign of mental vulnerabilities that have haunted him since his first loss to Andy Ruiz Jr. in 2019. However, more practical reasons for the decision have been overlooked or ignored in favor of crafting a narrative around Joshua.
In October, Joshua was seen training in Ben Davison’s gym with another coach before the confirmation of the collaboration between him and Davison. At the time, Joshua was simply looking to stay in shape, according to Davison. He stated that Joshua lived close to his gym, making it an ideal location for him to continue training while his head trainer, Derrick James, was on vacation.
By November, Joshua had agreed to fight Otto Wallin (26-3, 23 KO’s) on December 23 as part of a major event in Saudi Arabia featuring other well-known boxers. With Derrick James occupied training Ryan Garcia for his December 2nd fight, there would be little over two weeks for him to train Joshua for December 23.
Given the proximity of Ben Davison’s gym and their prior work together, Joshua chose to hire Davison for his corner on December 23, while James would presumably sit this match out.
Joshua’s hand seemed forced, as he genuinely needed a trainer, but had to contend with the reality that his head coach was unavailable. Committed to fighting on December 23, he had little choice but to hire another coach with whom he was already familiar before the announcement of Saudi Arabia’s ‘Day of Reckoning’ boxing event.
However, the context of this decision seems to have been misconstrued by observers, opting not to engage in rational thinking to deduce why this decision was made. With Derrick James obligated to train Ryan Garcia for his December 2nd fight, Joshua, facing his third fight this year, chose a risky manner to continue by hiring Davison, a decision that has been regarded as indecision by Joshua’s future opponent Otto Walin.
Contrastingly, Joshua’s decision to hire Davison can be seen as a conscious choice to stay active this year, recognizing the difficulties of adjusting to a new temporary trainer. Rather than a sign of decreasing mental acuity, it appears more rooted in rationality and ambition.
In simpler terms, Joshua needed a trainer for December 23 as Derrick James was unavailable, and Ben Davison, with whom he had prior experience, was a logical temporary choice. This decision does not indicate any decline in mental acuity but seems more grounded in Joshua looking to remain active, regardless of who is available for him to train with.
