TLDR
- Anthony Joshua is training with Oleksandr Usyk’s coaching team in Valencia, Spain
- Joshua lost to Usyk twice by decision but believes the team’s methods will help him improve
- The training focuses on maintaining elite performance through all 12 rounds of a fight
- Joshua faces Jake Paul on December 19 in Miami after a 15-month layoff
- The fight contract requires Joshua to weigh in under 245 pounds, five pounds less than his recent fights
Sources: RTFight | BoxingScene | ESPN Boxing | Sky Sports
Former unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has joined the training team that prepared Oleksandr Usyk and Vasiliy Lomachenko in Valencia, Spain. The decision comes as Joshua prepares for his December 19 fight against Jake Paul in Miami.
Joshua explained his choice to work with the Ukrainian coaching staff in a recent interview. “If you want to win, surround yourself with winners,” he said. “They are winners.”
The British boxer lost to Usyk twice by decision in previous heavyweight championship bouts. Despite those defeats, Joshua believes the team’s methods can help him improve.
Embracing Rigorous Training Methods
Joshua described the demanding nature of the training program in Valencia. “To compete, to stay on your feet for 12 rounds at an elite level, to be as good in the 12th round as you are in the first, takes a lot of hard work,” he said.
Anthony Joshua 🤝 Team Usyk pic.twitter.com/eq1TPZFIEC
— Boxing News (@BoxingNewsED) December 16, 2025
The 36-year-old boxer said the training was challenging but worthwhile. “It was challenging, but the body adapts. You have to embrace the challenge,” Joshua explained.
He credited his new coaches for pushing him hard. “The coach shows me his care through hard work,” Joshua said.
Joshua emphasized that training is about more than just preparing for fights. “I don’t just train to compete. I train because I enjoy the training,” he stated.
The former champion said improvement is his constant goal. “Every camp has to get better. Every session has to get better,” Joshua added.
Return After Loss to Daniel Dubois
The Paul fight will be Joshua’s first bout since losing to Daniel Dubois. Dubois knocked Joshua down four times before stopping him with a counter right hand.
Joshua will face a 15-month layoff, the longest inactive period of his professional career. The former champion has weighed between 250 and 256 pounds for his last five fights.
The fight contract includes a clause requiring Joshua to weigh in under 245 pounds. Joshua has already posted on social media that he is below the weight limit.
Paul, 28, comes from a YouTube and social media background rather than traditional boxing. He has primarily fought UFC fighters and older boxers during his professional career.
Joshua acknowledged needing to make changes after recent setbacks. “I stepped into the shadows. I have to work on myself and shuffle my deck,” he said.
The former champion found himself back in Valencia 12 months after his initial visit. He is now working with the same team that trained two Ukrainian boxing champions.
Anthony Joshua is training with Oleksandr Usyk ahead of the Jake Paul fight 👀
“I was invited to train with Team Usyk. We’ve been doing some good training.
He’s one of the best in the world. Getting an insight to how someone who’s achieved so much has been phenomenal.
It’s… pic.twitter.com/MXEekSojgy
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) November 21, 2025
Joshua said hard work is part of his nature. “When it comes to training for competition, I will always work hard no matter who it is, because that’s just in my DNA,” he stated.
The December 19 bout in Miami will mark Joshua’s return to the ring after his knockout loss. He faces Paul as a heavy favorite according to bookmakers, listed at -1200 odds on DraftKings.
