ANTHONY JOSHUA is unfazed by the absence of Team GB’s Olympics coach Rob McCracken and said: ‘It’s been good having a wider team’.
Joshua is trained by McCracken – the man who led him to Olympic gold in 2012 – with the two stationed at Team GB’s Sheffield HQ.
But AJ has started preparations to fight Oleksandr Usyk on September 25 without his head trainer, who is in Tokyo with the GB boxing squad.
The unified heavyweight champion still has assistant trainers Angel Fernandez and Joby Clayton as part of his camp.
And Joshua believes he has been left in safe hands, despite the loss of McCracken.
He told Sky Sports: “Everyone brings something different to the table. Usyk will bring in Vasiliy Lomachenko’s dad. He works with Russ Anber.
“I have a list of different nutritionists and strength and conditioning coaches that he will bring in for this fight.
“He is changing his team because people have a wealth of knowledge. It’s been good having a wider team and working collectively.”
AJ was faced with the possibility of fighting without McCracken for the first time since 2016 when he was in talks with Tyson Fury.
Joshua, 31, and Fury, 32, had agreed terms for a historic first-ever, four-belt undisputed title decider on August 14 in Saudi Arabia.
But it would have meant McCracken was in Japan for the Games – something AJ was willing to go through with.
His promoter Eddie Hearn said: “He has a good training team that is led by McCracken, but with other good trainers.
“AJ’s preparation is 365 days per day, not just an eight-week camp. Rob will be missing for a couple of weeks.
“Actually, we made a decision that whatever the date for the Tyson Fury fight, AJ would take it. Even if Rob had to pop to Tokyo.
“Rob is a massive part of AJ’s corner and his life.”
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McCracken has helped GB to a record six medals, with Joshua proudly cheering on his gym-mates from home.
He was ordered by the WBO to face Usyk, 34, in a mandatory defence after Fury lost his arbitration case with Deontay Wilder.
Wilder, 35, won the right to a trilogy bout against the Brit after his rematch loss in February 2020, which included a contracted third fight.
