George Groves gives honest opinion on Anthony Joshua’s switch to Team Usyk

Anthony Joshua’s decision to ditch Ben Davison and train with Oleksandr Usyk’s team ahead of his Jake Paul fight has raised significant eyebrows across the boxing community. 

The former two-time unified heavyweight champion confirmed he’s been putting in work at Usyk’s Spanish base for the past couple of months. He reportedly linked up with the Ukrainian’s coaching staff rather than prepping in London with Davison.

It represents another coaching switch for Joshua after working with Robert McCracken, Robert Garcia, Derrick James, and most recently Davison since turning pro. Ahead of his Netflix showdown on December 19, the former WBA super‑middleweight champion George Groves shared his thoughts on this juicy coaching move.

George Groves breaks down Anthony Joshua’s Team Usyk decision

Groves didn’t hold back in a recent interview with FootItalia when asked about Joshua’s training camp decision. The retired fighter acknowledged the appeal of working with Usyk’s team but questioned whether it would make a tangible difference against Paul.

The former champion said he’d jump at the chance to train with Usyk’s crew and hang out, betting “there’s plenty to learn from those guys.” But he wasn’t convinced the switch would help Joshua in the upcoming fight. He suggested Joshua might just want to experience their methods firsthand, or perhaps he’s thinking he doesn’t need the world’s best coaches to handle Paul.

When they asked if this was a good move for AJ, Groves brought up the old saying about not being able to teach an old dog new tricks. He mentioned, “Joshua might be able to catch the coins, maybe do the funky dancing because there’s a skill and an art to all these things.”

Groves also acknowledged that these moves are sometimes done for clickbait, but if Joshua’s got some nifty tricks and something up his sleeve from the Usyk camp, he’d be fully on board with that approach.

“I would love to go and train with those guys, I’d love to go and hang out with those guys. I bet there’s plenty to learn from those guys,” Groves said. “Will it make a difference and help him in the next fight, I’m not sure. Maybe he’s just doing it because he wants to hang out with those guys and see what it is.”

He wrapped up by suggesting that Usyk could help Joshua with the tricks and stylistic adjustments he might be looking to add to his arsenal.

Anthony Joshua’s Journey to Team Usyk

Anthony Joshua lost back-to-back decisions to Usyk in 2021 and 2022, then dropped his IBF title to Daniel Dubois by fifth-round knockout in September 2024 while training with Davison. He’s now set to face the YouTuber-turned-boxer in an eight-round heavyweight fight in Miami under that same Usyk team. 

The former Olympic gold medalist says he’s taking the matchup seriously despite Paul’s limited experience and has vowed to punish him in the head and body. Whether training with Team Usyk pays off on fight night remains a million-dollar question now.