Former world champion Anthony Joshua has reunited with trainer Ben Davison for his upcoming fight with Tyson Fury, reportedly set for December 11 in Cardiff, Wales.
AJ worked with Davison for several fights before moving on after his devastating KO defeat to Daniel Dubois in September 2024. For his last two fights – against Jake Paul and Kristian Prenga – he had Oleksandr Usyk’s team in his corner.
Promoter Eddie Hearn revealed the news: “He’s always been, even when Ben wasn’t his principal trainer, working with him strategically, talking all the time. I think he respects Ben a lot.
“Obviously, there’s probably a feeling that Ben Davison knows Tyson Fury extremely well.
“I don’t know AJ’s final decision on where he’s going to locate his training camp, but Ben Davison will definitely be involved in that camp and that process.”
Unknown Davison burst onto the scene back in 2018 when he helped an overweight, inactive Tyson Fury return following a battle with depression and substance abuse.
He took the Gypsy King from 30 stone to world title challenger following a draw with Deontay Wilder.
Ben was criticised by Freddie Roach, who was also in the corner that night, for not urging Tyson on to win. Instead, Davison was asking his heavyweight not to get caught, which many believed was negative advice and the cause of his 12th-round knockdown.
So before their 2020 rematch, Fury dropped Davison for American Sugarhill Steward, who guided him to two emphatic knockout wins over Wilder.
The 38-year-old Morecombe man remains coached by the Kronk Gym’s Steward — the nephew of legendary trainer Emanuel, who worked with Lennox Lewis.
Joshua, 36, meanwhile, has bounced around trainers and had a stint with Davison after leaving Derrick James in Texas in 2023.
Davison cornered AJ to wins over Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou, but was replaced following a brutal knockout loss to Daniel Dubois in 2024.
Joshua faced former opponent Usyk twice. The mismatch with YouTuber Jake Paul last December lasted six rounds before Joshua broke his jaw. Then his comeback fight in July went disastrously wrong.
Unheralded Albanian Kristian Prenga dropped him twice in the opening round, and AJ barely made it to the bell. Then, in the second round, the Albanian suspiciously retreated defensively, allowing Joshua to come forward and knock him out to turn the tables dramatically.
Paulie Malignaggi was particularly suspicious of the change in Prenga’s tactics and demeanour, saying the proposed Fury-Joshua fight is worth so much money that maybe someone had a little word in their corner about it.
The Battle of Britain between Joshua and Fury is set for Friday, December 11, in Cardiff.
COURTESY: 234sportsng.com
