Anthony Joshua should train with Adam Booth to beat Oleksandr Usyk in his 2022 rematch, according to Andy Lee.
Joshua lost the IBF. WBA and WBO titles to the 34-year-old Ukrainian at the end of September and immediately exercised his rematch clause. That is due to take place early next year.
The 32-year-old Briton was criticised for failing to take advantage of his size and strength advantage as his smaller rival came close to stopping him in the later rounds. Indeed, such was the nature of the victory that few now have Joshua favourite for the rematch.
Joshua appears to have taken note of the loss, prompting him to tour various gyms in Texas and California, causing speculation that he will drop trainer Rob McCracken or add a US-based trainer to his camp.
Lee was a middleweight champion, and worked with Booth, amongst others, over the course of his career. Booth has experience working up the weight classes too, and oversaw David Haye’s cruiserweight and heavyweight title wins.
“I think Rob McCracken still has a huge role to play in his career,” Lee said talkSPORT. “Just look at what he has done for Team GB.
“He’s transformed the British boxing team from an average Western European team which would obviously have the one special fighter every Olympics – Audley Harrison, Amir Khan – whereas now they are consistently winning medals.
“So he is obviously an experienced coach, but I think going across to America is sometimes not always the answer.
“I think that, because Tyson has done it and had a great result, you had Chisora going with Buddy McGirt, Dillian Whyte has got Harold Knight, [Joshua] Buatsi is with Virgil Hunter and it is rarely successful.
“Boxing coaching is about knowledge, but it is also about personalities and if I could make a recommendation for Anthony Joshua, if it is worth anything, I would recommend Adam Booth.
“I think that is a match made in heaven, there’s nobody in Britain or in this game in general, who understands what is needed to make significant improvements and assess a fighter and then verbalise and articulate how and why you should do a certain thing and why it will be effective.
“There’s no guessing with Adam; there are no smoke and mirrors, there’s no blowing smoke up your backside and you get a lot of that in America.
“You get a lot of that in boxing in general, there are a lot of con men. Adam Booth is the best coach in England, for me. “I think him and Anthony Joshua would be a very exciting match up.”
Lee continued: “If I can recommend Adam Booth, I can add a caveat to that. When they go to the gym, it’s only them who enter the gym.
“They lock the door behind them, there's nobody with cameras, there are no hype men, there’s nobody whooping and hollering. Close the door, go into the gym and work.
“And the results will speak for themselves because I think Adam Booth is the best coach out there and he and Joshua together would make a vicious, dangerous team.”