Former heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman says Anthony Joshua should replace trainer Ben Davison with Lennox Lewis after AJ’s fifth round knockout loss to Danel Dubois last Saturday night. Rahman blames Joshua’s defeat on coming out “passively” against IBF heavyweight champion Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs), and he feels that was a mistake.
(Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing)
Rahman feels that Joshua may not get on well with former unified heavyweight champion Lewis, but he thinks he is the best guy for him at this point to bring him back.
If Joshua doesn’t want to officially replace Ben, he can add Lewis as a second coach and let him give directions. Focusing more on Lewis would be wise for Joshua, especially during fights.
Lewis would have known what tactics would work against Dubois, and at this point Joshua cannot afford to keep losing again. He needs someone who has been there, like Lennox. If Joshua chooses to stick it out with Ben Davison out of loyalty, he may regret it later.
There were reports that Davison told Joshua to throw two jabs followed by an uppercut going into the fifth round. Joshua was knocked out when he tried to throw an uppercut in round five, which was countered by a right by Dubois. If that report is correct, what a mistake. It was even worse than Joshua coming out in the first round and fighting passively.
We still don’t know if Joshua will choose to fight Dubois next in a rematch, as his promoter, Eddie Hearn, has mentioned that he will have to wait until after the December 21st fight between unified champion Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury before it plays out. they decide whose fight. following.
“The way Dubois fights, he comes in with reckless abandon. He comes in with bad intentions and tries to knock you out,” said Hasim Rahman Battle hypein response to Anthony Joshua’s loss to Daniel Dubois. “I think Joshua fought a bit passively. That’s why he was caught with a shot.”
Joshua fought Deontay Wilder in his recent losses to Zhilei Zhang and Joseph Parker. Moving the ring against Dubois was a crazy strategy by Joshua, and it’s a surprise that he used that approach. Was this Ben Davison’s game plan? If so, that’s another reason to replace him.
“I think Anthony Joshua needs another trainer. I know there is a trainer he doesn’t necessarily get along with, but I believe Lennox Lewis can take him to the heavyweight championship of the world,” said Rahman.
“I think Lennox will be the best trainer for Anthony Joshua. So whatever bit of inconsistency they got, they can put it aside and make an all-British dream team and go back and reclaim the title a third time. I think Lennox is the man for Anthony. I know Lennox would do it, and I think they would create a dream team together,” said Rahman.
Adding Lewis to Joshua’s team may not help the situation as AJ’s chin will still be as vulnerable as before. But if Joshua had Lewis in his corner, at least he would have fought more aggressively and wouldn’t have been given game plans that didn’t focus on his strengths.
“The most important thing is experience. He’s been in the situation that Anthony is in right now, and he knows how to come back,” Rahman said. “He came back every time he was in that situation. Just the boxing IQ and how he knows how to maneuver around the ring.
“I think Lennox would be the ideal man for Anthony to go back and regain that three-time heavyweight championship,” Rahman said.
If Joshua is going to remain loyal to Ben out of his friendship, he may not feel comfortable letting him go. He has to do something because staying with Ben seems like a sinking ship.
