Anthony Joshua announces new head trainer

Anthony Joshua officially has a new head trainer, and it’s someone he is very familiar with.

The British star and former heavyweight champion told reporters Saturday night that he has hired assistant Angel Fernandez for the task.

Joshua was in attendance for the Deji vs. Alex Wassabi YouTuber card at OVO Arena Wembley in London, where the 32-year-old let the cat out of the bag.

“I’m working with Angel Fernandez right now,” Joshua told Behind the Gloves. “He’s been in my camp for the last three years, anyway. He’s been in the last three world championships.”

After Joshua dropped his WBA/WBO and IBF titles to unbeaten Ukrainian southpaw Oleksandr Usyk last September in their one-sided 12-round heavyweight championship bout in London, whom Joshua would select as his new head coach became a hot topic.

Rumors swirled that Joshua had fired longtime trainer Rob McCracken. However, Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, of Matchroom Sport, denied the claims last October, whilst confirming Joshua “went to see a number of gyms, fighters, and trainers” and that McCracken would remain in his corner in some capacity.

After the loss to Usyk, Joshua traveled to the United States and worked out with a plethora of top trainers, including Robert Garcia, Virgil Hunter, Eddy Reynoso, and Ronnie Shields.

Spain’s Fernandez, a protégé of Cuban trainers Jorge Rubio and Ismael Salas, was initially hired as an assistant to McCracken shortly after Joshua suffered an upset loss to Andy Ruiz in June 2019. He was instrumental in preparing the 2012 Olympic gold medalist for his subsequent rematch against the Mexican the following December in Saudi Arabia, which Joshua won in a unanimous decision rout.

Joshua (24-2, 22 KOs) exercised his rematch clause with Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs) last October. But their much-anticipated second chapter could be on hold for a while as Usyk has since returned home to Ukraine to fight for his country in their ongoing war with Russia.