Recently Anthony Joshua has found his killer instinct again working alongside Ben Davison. With a vicious stoppage of Otto Wallin and a brutal knockout of Francis Ngannou in his last outing. It seems as if the “Old AJ” is back.
Many are crediting the appointment of head trainer Ben Davison as the reason for AJ’s upturn in form. Beforehand Joshua struggled against the likes Jermaine Franklin and Robert Helenius. Even though the Brit knocked Helenius there was still a lack of urgency in his performance.
However, ever since Davison has emerged Joshua has looked better than ever. Ben Davison garnered a reputation for training Tyson Fury in his return to boxing. Davison has also worked with the likes of Josh Taylor and Devin Haney.
Embed from Getty ImagesI’m going to look at why the pairing of Anthony Joshua and Ben Davison could be a perfect combination.
Age Gap
Antony Joshua is 34 years old whilst this may be old in other sports but in heavyweight boxing he is in the prime of his career. Ben Davison is 31 years old three years younger than Joshua. It’s rare to see a trainer younger than his fighter but that is exactly why it works.
Due to Ben Davison’s age, he has a fresh approach to training that older trainers may not have. Anthony Joshua is very much a modern-day fighter who is as much an athlete as he is a fighter.
Embed from Getty ImagesOne thing that you cannot accuse Joshua of is neglecting his craft. The Brit has always been someone who has constantly tried to improve as a fighter. Due to his late start to boxing AJ has always come across as an inquisitive individual.
The heavyweight can often be seen as asking questions to his corner. For some older trainers this can frustrating but for a trainer like Ben Davison he welcomes this. Davison is a young trainer himself who is still relatively new to boxing.
There is a possibility that during their time together that both AJ and Davison could learn together. Joshua has had multiple trainers in his time, and all been unable to ignite the fire within the heavyweight. A younger trainer is exactly what the two-time heavyweight champion.
Communication
When training Tyson Fury there were occasion where BT Sport ran the YouTube series Corner Cam. The cameras and microphones of BT Sport picked up some of Ben Davison’s corner advice. In these clips Ben Davison demonstrated his clear ability to communicate. With Davison there is a concise way he talks to his fighters.
This type of communication would be perfect for someone like an Anthony Joshua. It often feels like AJ needs directing of what to do in his fights. Despite being 34 Joshua has the mindset that he is still learning the game. This type of fighter is perfect for Ben Davison.
Embed from Getty ImagesThere is an energy that the 31-year-old trainer has that matches the energy that someone like Anthony Joshua needs. The former two-time heavyweight champion does not need a trainer who will vaguely explain what to do. He needs a trainer with a passion and fire in his corner.
Joshua will listen to Davison and will respond to what he says. Due to Ben Davison’s way of elucidating his corner advice it will be easier for Joshua to carry out instructions.
Davison’s History
Everyone knows of Ben Davison’s history training Tyson Fury for his comeback. In his time training the Gypsy King Davison will have undoubtedly learned a lot. Not only would this benefit AJ should he fight Fury, but it would have massively benefited Davison. Learning of a fighter as versatile as Fury would only benefit a young trainer like Davison.
However, Fury is not the only big name that English trainer has coached. Ben Davison has worked with the likes of Devin Haney and Josh Taylor. These are two fighters who have gone on to become undisputed in their respective weight divisions. Taylor went on to become undisputed whilst fighting under Davison.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe advantage with working with such a variety of world class talents means that as a trainer Ben Davison has worked with unique styles. Haney is a slick boxer; Taylor is an accurate aggressive head-hunter and Fury is all the above. When it comes to Anthony Joshua you have someone who has improved as a boxer, but his strength lies in his power.
Looking at how he has coached his fighters in the past the young trainer does not try to turn fighters into something they are not. With Haney Davison dissects his weaknesses but there is still an emphasis on the American’s strengths. The two-weight world champion is still a slick boxer who can jab your head off. Josh Taylor was still digging the body and fought with an aggression under Davison.
With Tyson Fury Ben Davison has been on record with saying that he wanted Fury lighter so he could use his elusive boxing ability. Whilst some disagreed with decision to make Fury lighter in weight including John Fury. However, Fury’s best trait is to box off the back foot and use his slick jab. So, one cannot blame Davison for trying to accentuate Fury’s best trait.
We have already seen shades of this with Anthony Joshua where AJ is now fighting with an aggression for which he was known. Instead of using pitty-patty punches the Brit is now punching through the target. This is something that AJ was always famous for and with Ben Davison in his corner it looks we may see the best of Anthony Joshua.
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