Anthony Joshua looks set to have Ben Davison in his corner for a long-awaited grudge match with Tyson Fury, who previously trained under the coach.
Joshua vs Fury is expected to be confirmed in the coming weeks, with Cardiff’s Principality Stadium likely to host the British super-fight on 11 December.
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Confirmation would come after months of complicated negotiations, with the heavyweights briefly looking like they might square off in the US instead of domestically.
Anthony Joshua with Ben Davison (left) (Getty)
Among the other details that need ironing out is Joshua’s coaching set-up, but the 36-year-old appears to be opting for a reunion with Davison.
Davison guided “AJ” to stoppages of Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou between December 2023 and March 2024, before Daniel Dubois knocked out Joshua in September 2024.
Since then, Joshua has boxed twice, with team members of former rival Oleksandr Usyk in his corner – for a December stoppage of Jake Paul and a chaotic, two-round win over Kristian Prenga in July. Joshua’s win against Prenga came in Saudi Arabia one day after Fury stopped Mariusz Wach in seven rounds in Thailand, in a bout that was broadcast nowhere.
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“Even when Ben wasn’t his principal trainer, he was working with him strategically, talking all the time,” said Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, at the weekend.
“And I think he respects Ben a lot. Obviously there’s probably a feeling that Ben Davison knows Tyson Fury extremely well.
“For me, I think he’s one of the best trainers in the world. I don’t know AJ’s final decision to where he’s gonna locate his training camp, but Ben Davison will definitely be involved in that camp and that process.”
Davison coached Fury when the “Gypsy King” returned to boxing in 2018, following a two-and-a-half year hiatus.
Tyson Fury with Davison in 2019 (Getty)
Under Davison, Fury beat Sefer Seferi and Francesco Pianeta, before controversially drawing with Deontay Wilder – when most fans believed Fury should have been awarded the win.
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Fury, 38, then beat Tom Schwarz and Otto Wallin, before splitting from Davison in time for a 2020 rematch with Wilder, whom Fury stopped to win the WBC title in a terrific performance.
Davison has proven divisive to many boxing fans and pundits. Most recently, he came under fire while in the corner of Moses Itauma in August, as the young heavyweight gassed himself out and lost to Filip Hrgovic.
Itauma, 21, apparently suffered a leg injury in the fight, but he was also accused of boxing at an unsustainable pace before he was stopped in round nine. The result was the first loss of his career, as Hrgovic collected the vacant IBF heavyweight title.
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