ANTHONY JOSHUA’S coach Robert Garcia has been accused of “showing his weaknesses” following recent comments made.
AJ linked up with American Garcia for the first time before his rematch against Oleksandr Usyk.
Anthony Joshua pictured with Robert Garcia
Boxing – Liam Smith & Hassan Mwakinyo Weigh-In – Hilton Liverpool City Centre, Liverpool, Britain – September 1, 2022 Dan Azeez during the press conference Action Images/Molly Darlington
But Joshua was beaten for the second time on points by the Ukrainian.
Garcia raised eyebrows in a Spanish-speaking interview with IZQUIERDAZO, when saying Joshua “defeated himself”.
And although the trainer said his words were mistranslated, light-heavyweight Dan Azeez fears the damage has been done.
Azeez, 33, told Sky Sports: “I don’t see them working together again and even him coming out now with the mental stuff.
“Maybe people don’t say it to him behind closed doors, but I think it’s something maybe they should have said behind closed doors not come out and say it in public.
“You’re already showing his weaknesses now. Everyone says boxing is 80 per cent mental.
“If your own trainer who’s spent how many weeks with you is saying he’s not mentally strong or insinuating that’s a big thing.”
Garcia is quoted as saying: “During that ninth round, in the corner [we] were telling ourselves we had the fight.
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“Oleksandr Usyk came back stronger. I’ve even thought in these last few days that it was Joshua who mentally defeated himself.
“Joshua was mentally defeated since round ten or 11. Round ten was a big one for Usyk.
“That changed the whole fight, and mentally we were defeated.”
Joshua, 32, is set to return in either December or January following consecutive losses to Usyk, 35.
AJ recently returned to Finchley ABC, his first gym, meanwhile Garcia defended his comments.
He told ESNews: “I spoke to a Spanish reporter that I know so I gave him a little interview, but from Spanish translated to English, they make it seem like, ‘Oh, Robert is talking s***’, pretty much.
“I wouldn’t say that about my fighters, man. I’ve never done it before and I never will. “The headline is, ‘Robert says Anthony mentally beat himself’ but I never said that.
“I said that Usyk after being hurt really bad in the ninth he came in the tenth like that never happened, he came strong which you’ve got to applaud that.
“So that’s not saying ‘oh, Anthony was beat mentally’. Usyk came back strong and dominated those three rounds.
“I said, ‘Look, Usyk being the winner, the champion and Anthony grabbing the belts that’s disrespecting the champion’.
“But Anthony was frustrated. F*** he hates to lose. He came back and apologised and everything was good.”
Anthony Joshua twice lost to Oleksandr Usyk
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