JOHN OLIVER
TRAINER AT FINCHLEY ABC
HE was just a class act from day one. Itโs a dream for every trainer, doesnโt matter who it is, they are looking for that type of fighter to come through the door. Iโve never seen anybody like that. I go right the way back to the days of Cassius Clay, I was boxing myself in those days. I was in the gymnasium when Cassius Clay walked in and Iโd never seen anyone with the kind of physique Clay had, until Anthony Joshua walked into the gym. The movement, the ability, itโs just natural โ you canโt train that.
He was always asking questions as well. He was just one of those boys that developed all the time. If he was 100 per cent, he wanted to be 110 per cent. He studies boxing, but heโs an athlete, heโs not just a boxer. He is very, very fast on his feet, he dances well, moves well.
When he first walked in the gym, it was about six years ago, I was in awe, especially when he was getting ready. I took him on the pads and gave him the basics and I said to him, โWhere have you been boxing?โ He said, โI havenโt.โ I said, โCome on you must have been somewhere,โ so he told me heโd been messing around with a couple of mates but he hadnโt done any boxing.
Heโs a natural athlete, everything came to him very quickly.
We had a big team at Finchley. Sean Murphy, who also trained him, was in the corner. There were a lot of trainers and Joshua learnt from all of us. Thatโs what I told him from day one โ whatever trainer you talk to, they will all teach you something. Try and learn something off of everybody and put it to use.
I noticed his power from day one. Sean took him on the pads once and he broke Seanโs hand, smashed it. Itโs just one of those things, itโs natural power. He started boxing quite late, he was about 19, so when you consider what he won in four or five years, itโs incredible. Most amateur boxers take 10, 12 years to do that.
TONY SIMS
CURRENT TRAINER
HEโS made the transition from amateur to professional boxing tremendously well. Heโs a great athlete. But no one has really tested him yet so itโs hard to say. Until we start seeing someone pushing him over 10 or 12 rounds, we wonโt see what heโs really made of.
In the gym you can see that heโs progressing well though. From last year to this year, heโs become much more relaxed, heโs not as stiff and rigid as when he first turned over and heโs letting his punches go, his speed and accuracy have improved, his movement is good.
Heโs always eager to learn, he always asks everyone in the team a lot of questions. Heโs a very intelligent man. Heโs become quite a historian of boxing as well, heโs learning a lot about the old fighters, he watches a lot of films and footage. Heโs an eager student. Heโs always asking questions of everybody, heโs got quite a big coaching team around him, a physiotherapist, a nutritionist and a strength and conditioning coach, so heโs always asking everyone a hundred questions a day, heโs very inquisitive. Heโs eager to learn about everything, not just about boxing but about life as well. Iโve seen him progress as a person, as a man as well, and heโs got a great future ahead of him. Everyone loves a heavyweight and everyoneโs excited, but at the moment, in my eyes, heโs a 13-fight novice.
His fights have been short but theyโve been scheduled for eight or 10 rounds, so the team gets him in great shape. He does 12-round spars, so he knows he can do it in the gym but doing it in the gym and doing it on the night are two completely different things. He does 12 rounds in the gym with ease, so gym-wise heโs in great condition. Sometimes, if and when his fights end early, Iโll take him on the pads for a few rounds, but it depends on what sort of mood heโs in.
There have been slight changes in the whole of his make-up since he turned professional, but itโs more to do with endurance. Heโs had to learn to slip and slide and take his time with what heโs doing rather than rushing his work. He tried to land scoring blows as an amateur but now heโs putting his full weight behind his punches, heโs sitting down on them more. He already had the power and the size and heโs got good balance that was always there, so it was more about teaching him to take his time and pacing himself.