Dave Coldwell breaks down how Anthony Joshua can defeat Oleksandr Usyk

If anyone knows the keys to beating Oleksandr Usyk, perhaps it’s Dave Coldwell. 

The renowned trainer formulated the game plan as Tony Bellew handed the Ukrainian one of his toughest nights in the pro ranks to date, with the Briton ahead on the scorecards when he was stopped in the eighth round of their 2018 clash. 

Coldwell had been scouting Usyk ever since his amateur days, after Bellew predicted the Ukrainian mastermind would one day take over the cruiserweight division. That he did, becoming undisputed champion in only his 15th fight. Now, four bouts down the line, the pound-for-pound star is still undefeated and has had an answer to everything and everyone so far. 

That includes Anthony Joshua, who looked almost relieved just to the hear the final bell at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last year, as a mesmerising Usyk taught the Briton a lesson inside the squared circle to claim his IBF, WBO and WBA belts. 

Like Bellew, Joshua played victim to what Coldwell describes as Usyk’s ‘water torture’-like unrelenting pressure. Unlike Bellew, though, Joshua must now do it all again: the two-time heavyweight champion returns to Saudi Arabia – where he avenged his defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr – for an equally career-defining rematch this Saturday.

Where Joshua turned to discipline in defeating Ruiz Jr, boxing brilliantly from range and largely refusing to give his opponent a sniff, this time Coldwell insists it’s the heavyweight’s natural physical advantages he must utilise – the same advantages neglected last year. 

‘With AJ’s size, his weight and the power he’s got, I’ve always felt as though a serious, sustained targeting of the body needs to occur,’ Coldwell told Sportsmail. 

‘If you look at the first fight, quite significantly you can see a reaction out of Usyk when he gets clipped to the body a couple of times. That’s key for AJ; it’s vital.

‘With body punches, AJ doesn’t have to see an immediate reaction when he lands them, but he has to stay consistent because he will make Usyk’s legs heavier, he will take the sharpness out of them, and Usyk’s punches will become more ragged. 

‘With Usyk, he’s always moving. Anthony Joshua is a fantastic combination puncher at mid-range, but he needs Usyk to be in his range. Once you’ve slowed his legs down and you can trap him, that’s when you can start letting your hands go.

‘He’ll need to let go of a few power shots and intimidate Usyk. He needs to hit him to the arms, shoulders, body with power shots where you actually mean it.’ 

Of course, it’s easier said than done and slowing the swift-footed southpaw down is no menial task. 

Joshua was expected to be too big, too strong, and too powerful for the smaller Usyk to handle in their first fight but, in the end, it was Usyk who proved too clever. 

Those watching on were left bemused as Joshua neglected his physical advantages, instead opting to box the better boxer in a move that proved disastrous. 

Coldwell, who believes Joshua and his team may have looked at Bellew’s fight with Usyk and thought, with a bigger reach and significantly more power, they would be able to outbox Usyk, insists Joshua’s mentality may have shifted within the first half-a-minute. 

‘If you look 20 seconds into the fight, Usyk lands a left hand and, all of a sudden, the shock that this little man could reach him straight away, that’s where the doubts started coming in,’ he said.

‘The mental pressure he puts you under, the fact he never keeps his head still, the fact he’s always shifting you off balance so you can’t set yourself to let your power shots go… when you haven’t got great balance, and by that I mean you can’t quite get that timing right to let go of your combinations, all of a sudden you become very uncomfortable. 

‘And when you’re getting peppered from different spots, different angles, different weight of punches, there’s a lot of confusion for a fighter there.’

Joshua, acknowledging he will have to adapt if he is to emerge victorious on August 20, parted ways with long-term coach Rob McCracken and in his place brought in prolific trainer Robert Garcia. 

The knockout-hungry coach has led his fighters to 14 world titles and now has the task of unleashing the aggressive Joshua that proved an almost unstoppable force at times earlier in his career.   

Coldwell believes Garcia could be the man to get the best out of Joshua, but concedes such a change ahead of the most important fight of his career is a risk.  

‘It could be a really good fit, but when you put together a great fighter and a great trainer, it doesn’t always mean they will gel,’ he said. ‘It’s about getting the best out of a fighter. 

‘Garcia is a fantastic coach and he’s got great experience, so if they can gel then yes, it could be good for AJ. But also, how are the dynamics with those who were there before? Are they all on the same page? Is there any confusion? AJ’s got to have 100 per cent trust in the team that he’s got; that’s vital.

‘It’s always a risk. Learning something new and doing it for the first time under the bright lights when all the pressure’s on – sparring it totally different – is a big ask. It will take a great lot of mental fortitude.    

‘Fair play, AJ’s got that. You look at his attitude and his drive, for all the money he’s earned, he’s proven that he’s a good student of the game. So, if anyone can do it he can. Look at the difference between the first Ruiz fight and the second; that was a completely new style. He did what nobody knew AJ could do. 

‘It’s a little bit different because he’s more likely to get caught if he’s more aggressive, and his reactions have to be better when he does get caught. He can’t be tense, he can’t panic or react too much, it takes too much energy out of him. He’s got to be nice and calm under pressure.

‘The fighters that Garcia has worked with in the past, they take shots on the gloves, counter, walk you down. They are very calm, even when getting caught, they just stick to the process. That’s something we haven’t seen with AJ. If he can do that – it will be a great mental job – they could be a great fit.’

When it comes down to it, Coldwell can’t pick a winner. He says Joshua will be much-improved, but so will Usyk. He says Joshua will have learned so much after sharing 12 rounds, but so will Usyk. He says Joshua knows where he went wrong, but so does Usyk. 

Ultimately, while Coldwell believes Usyk is the slight favourite, he believes it’s Joshua’s approach which will determine the fight’s outcome.   

‘Watching the first fight, initially, it looks so one-sided,’ Coldwell explained. ‘But I’ve watched this fight over and over and over again, and AJ did have success. 

‘You look at the right hand which landed to the head a couple of times, a couple shots he landed to the body had an effect, but there was nothing full-blooded. 

‘If AJ can put it all together and land with significant force to the body then I give him a good chance. 

‘But Usyk’s always been able to adapt, and after being in the ring with AJ for 12 rounds he’ll have worked so many more things out. 

‘He won’t actually be satisfied with that last performance, so I expect him to be better. A lot of it depends on how relaxed AJ is under pressure.

‘I expect AJ to land more than he did last time – he has to. If it’s all going wrong, and he’s getting peppered, he’s got to go s*** or bust. He can’t afford to drift through and lose on points again.’

Usyk vs Joshua rematch is on August 20, live on Sky Sports Box Office.