Frazer Clarke on training Joshua and AJ’s new ‘don’t give out’ attitude
Frazer Clarke believes Anthony Joshua will rediscover killer instincts before the next fight.
The former GB Olympic Team captain is supporting his teammate to regain the WBA Super, IBF, WBO and IBO world heavyweight titles when he meets Oleksandr Usyk in a rematch later this month.
Joshua was dethroned by former undisputed weightweight champion Usyk at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London last September and will have his chance to get revenge on August 20.
Jeddah Superdome in Saudi Arabia will play host to the clash, for which Sky Sports Box Office paid a staggering £23 million to secure the UK broadcasting rightsbetween two former Olympic gold medalists.
And Clarke, who trained with Joshua at Loughborough University after ‘AJ’ parted ways with longtime mentor Robert McCracken and teamed up with Robert Garcia, adds him to the team that already has Clarke coach Angel Fernandez , assuming he saw a new side to the 32-year-old, who has a 24-2 record (22 KOs).
When talking to Sports sky Clarke says:
“He has no illusions. He’ll have to be the best he’s ever been to beat Usyk. “
‘Big Fraze’ most recently operated at the end of July. The Olympic bronze medalist made his debut in February, in the name of Kell Brook’s stoppage-time goal against Amir Khan at Manchester Arenabefore surgery for a thumb injury.
But he came back with a bang, stopping Argentina’s Ariel Esteban Bracamonte for two rounds at the Bournemouth International Center, live exclusively on Sky Sports, as part of the supporting cast to defend the title. Chris Billam-Smith’s European and Commonwealth cruiser before Isaac Chamberlain.
Clarke continued about his friend:
“I think he’s going to have to be better than ever.
“I feel he must be Klitschko-esque. That night [in April 2017 when Joshua stopped Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley Stadium in London in the penultimate of 12 rounds], there were ups and downs and he had to come back. He may have to do it.
“He has every chance.
“From what I’ve seen him give daily and weekly, he gives himself every chance and that’s all you can ask for from a boxer in the camp. If you give all you have to give, with the experience and skills he already has, he will give himself every chance. “
Clarke is giving the impression that we’ll see Joshua more aggressive in this bout, just as we saw in the majority of his bouts before the stunning night out against Klitschko five years ago.
“I feel like [Joshua is] a good guy. I think someone had to pull the bad guy away from him. I think Robert Garcia was very good at doing that. He pulls out the sentence ‘don’t let anyone other than win this war’. He took it away from him.
“This could be Britain’s greatest heavyweight boxing night. I feel like people see him as a big underdog and he could be out in 12 rounds.
“But you’ll be happy to bet again on him.”