Sergio Mora thinks that seven weeks is not enough for Robert Garcia to overhaul Anthony Joshua’s game ahead of his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk.
July 23 has been pencilled in for the second fight between the pair as Joshua attempts to win back the IBF, WBA and WBO belts, with Saudi Arabia touted as the likely venue.
While August is starting to look like a more realistic date for the clash, Mora is sceptical that there is enough time for a fundamentally strong relationship to be built between the two former world champions.
Speaking during JABS on the DAZN Boxing Show, Mora told Chris Mannix: “I don’t like champions and former champions leaving their ‘day one’ the guy that got them there, but if you are going to leave, Robert Garcia is the way to go.
“Robert Garcia is a world class trainer and I think bringing a little Mexican style to the former British champion is exactly what AJ needs, especially after he looked so lost in that first fight with Oleksandr Usyk.
“I think he has nothing to lose here. If he can fight and build a relationship, a game plan ,with a world class trainer like Robert Garcia: bang down to the body, get physical, get aggressive, fight like a big man. If he can squeeze that into seven weeks, it’s going to be tough to get in there, just enough time to get the right strategy down there at least.
“Chaos, and a little sense of desperation, maybe. Maybe this is the last hope, the last chance for Anthony Joshua to do something great? Whenever you run out of options, it’s all you. This is what AJ wanted. That’s what the man needed, that’s what he’s going to do. It’s all on AJ’s soldiers.”
However, Mora did not write off the chance of improvement in Joshua, but believes the onus rests on the Briton.
“Robert Garcia, it’s not enough time to completely reinvent the former world champion. It’s going to be up to Joshua to bring out something great in him,” he said.
“Let’s not say that Robert Garcia is all offensive, he’s more of a cerebral offensive. He can fight behind the jab, he can train boxers. I think a little bit of both is what Joshua needs, but I can tell you now seven weeks is not enough to build trust, a solid relationship. When the going gets tough he’s going to resort to what he needs."