Carl Froch believes Anthony Joshua's decision to move on from longtime trainer Robert McCracken was a mistake, insisting the former heavyweight champion would have been better served by remaining with the coach who guided much of his early career.
Froch, who worked with McCracken throughout his own successful career, knows firsthand the value the respected trainer can bring to a fighter. The former super-middleweight champion retired in 2014 after his memorable knockout victory over George Groves, with McCracken having played a central role in his development.
Joshua, who owns a record of 30-4 with 27 knockouts, split from McCracken in 2022. Since then, he has worked with several high-profile trainers, including Robert Garcia, Derrick James and Ben Davison, before recently linking up with Sergey Lapin and members of Oleksandr Usyk's wider team.
The constant changes have kept Joshua's training situation under scrutiny. His most recent outing against Kristian Prenga added further fuel to the debate after Joshua was dropped and appeared badly hurt during a difficult opening round.
Some observers questioned the advice he received between rounds, although Joshua recovered impressively and stopped Prenga in the second round.
Froch believes the current setup may help Joshua physically and mentally, but he has concerns about the quality of communication and instruction coming from the corner during a fight.
“Team Usyk may be a good team to get him fit and put him in the right frame of mind,” Froch said. “But after what I saw between rounds against Prenga, I'm not convinced they are the right people for the corner work.
“There seemed to be a communication problem and a language barrier. Some of what was being said wasn't clear, and it didn't come across as effective motivation.”
For Froch, the answer is simple: Joshua should never have left McCracken in the first place.
“I think he should have stayed with Rob McCracken,” Froch continued. “Rob is a man of principles. He isn't driven by money. He's driven by boxing, loyalty, honesty and integrity, and he's the kind of person who genuinely has your back.”
Froch's praise reflects the reputation McCracken built over decades in the sport. Joshua enjoyed many of the biggest moments of his career while working with him, including his rise from Olympic champion to unified heavyweight titleholder.
However, Froch does not believe a reunion between Joshua and McCracken is likely, despite his view that it would have been better for the heavyweight had the partnership never ended.
The retired champion said he could not speak on McCracken's behalf, but he doubts the trainer would be interested in working with Joshua again.
“Would Rob take him back? I can't speak for Rob, but my opinion is that there is no chance,” Froch said. “I don't think Rob McCracken would ever work with Anthony Joshua again. That ship has sailed.”
Whether Joshua's latest training partnership can deliver the results he needs remains to be seen. But Froch is clear about his position: in his view, Joshua's most stable and successful training relationship was the one he chose to leave behind.
