Fury vs Joshua: Anthony Joshua brings back Tyson Fury’s former trainer Ben Davison for heavyweight grudge match in Cardiff | Boxing News

Anthony Joshua has returned to trainer Ben Davison for his heavyweight super-fight with Tyson Fury in December.

Davison has the unique distinction of having trained both Joshua and Fury. The trainer, who has also coached Fabio Wardley and Moses Itauma among others, helped Fury in his comeback from a long hiatus from the sport, an unbeaten run that included his first fight with Deontay Wilder in 2018.

More recently Davison has worked with Joshua, though AJ left and brought in trainers from Oleksandr Usyk’s camp for his last two fights.

Now Joshua has reunited with Davison, who will for the first time in a fight be in the opposite corner to Fury. That has led to Fury branding him a “traitor”.

Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, revealed that AJ has maintained his links with Davison even as he changed training teams and hasn’t brought him back specifically to target Fury.

“Ben’s a great trainer. Even in the last fight and the one before, he was always working with Ben Davison behind the scenes,” Hearn told Sky Sports News.

“Obviously, Ben Davison knows Tyson Fury pretty well as well. I don’t think that’s the defining reason. But AJ just felt it would be a good addition to the camp.

“So, he’ll be the head trainer going into this fight. He’s still working with Usyk’s team and those guys as well.”

Since Rob McCracken Joshua has had a succession of different head trainers, employing Robert Garcia then Derrick James before teaming up with Davison and then Iegor Golub from Usyk’s team.

But promoter Hearn insists that it doesn’t mean Joshua’s corner is unsettled.

“I think AJ knows where he is, but I don’t think he’s going to start changing things around. He just wants to tweak things and get things right from a strategy perspective,” Hearn said.

“He knows what he needs to do. And ultimately, that’s land one straight on his chin and knock him spark out. That’s the game plan.

“And we’ve got to find a way to do it efficiently and correctly. And he’ll do that studiously with Ben Davison and the team.”

Nelson ‘surprised’ at Davison decision

Former world champion and Sky Sports boxing expert Johnny Nelson believes Joshua’s decision to return to Davison will raise questions.

“Ben’s come under a lot of criticism and stick more recently for his charge over a couple of other fighters,” Nelson told Sky Sports News.

“Obviously AJ feels comfortable with whatever message Ben Davison is bringing to him. I think I saw Tyson and Shane [Fury] walking past and calling him a traitor, and he had a little smile on him.

“I’m just surprised, but this is his choice.

“I don’t agree with fighters chopping and changing trainers all the time, because you need to feel that you create a relationship, a trust, a belief in your coach.

“If he says jump, you don’t say how high, you just jump, and so I struggle to understand the chopping and changing.

“But this is AJ’s call, he’s obviously done it for a reason. It’ll be interesting.”