Happy New Year to the readers! 2022 is now upon us and that brings with it the opportunity for the eagerly anticipated rematch between Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk.While the fight has not been officially confirmed, Joshua has been having training sessions in Dubai with his friends and boxers Chris Eubank Jr. and Lawrence Okolie.The former IBF, WBO, and WBA heavyweight champion has not relented over the festivities and has been pictured going hard at it in the gym, working with Anthony ‘Chill’ Wilson out in the Emirates.In his latest post, the 32-year-old was pictured with the undefeated legend of the ring Floyd Mayweather on New Year’s eve, with the American watching over a session as the Watford icon was working on the aqua bag.The footage was captioned:
The best to do it and always helping the next generation. Big respect champ.
It seems that Joshua took up Mayweather’s offer of training from earlier in December when he said:
“I told him from the beginning, I came on the record from the beginning, I told him to come and I could teach him some pointers. A lot of the time, this is just my take, the same coach you had as an amateur doesn’t always make you a great professional.”
He continued, saying: “But I told him at the beginning when he was undefeated ‘you’ve got some things you need to tweak because if you don’t then you may come up short’.”
AJ has been seen training with numerous coaches in America including the likes of Ronnie Shields, Eddy Reynoso and Virgil Hunter, mixing things up ever since his loss to Ukraine star, Usyk.
The match has been touted to be held in late March. Promoter Eddie Hearn claimed that Joshua would make a public announcement concerning his team for the rematch in the New Year.
He said: “ It’s not just about who’s training him, it’s about where that’s going to take place. He’s talking to people and I think he will make a decision early in the new year.”
He also added that it is possible that AJ’s contribution to the sport has made him too big of a hero to be challenged. He is quoted as saying:
“I feel it might be time to move on from that environment because when you’ve been there since you were 18 and you go into GB and Anthony Joshua is everywhere, he’s a god.
"I just feel it’s time to rough him up a little bit, not in log cabins in the middle of nowhere. But up there it’s ‘oh my God, it’s AJ!’ because they’re proud of him.”