Anthony Joshua Training With Derrick James 'Great Decision,' Says Boxing Legend

Anthony Joshua has once again changed trainers, and many are of the opinion that it is former boxer Derrick James.

Roy Jones Jr. could not be any happier with the decision of Joshua.

Speaking with Pro Boxing Fans ahead of Liam Smith knocking out his ward Chris Eubank Jr. in Manchester, England, Jones completely endorses having Joshua work out his skills with James.

"Great decision. I told him before he did it that I thought it was a great decision, a great move. I said if you feel comfortable there, don't keep going around looking. If you're comfortable, stay where you're comfortable at," Jones mentioned.

He later revealed that Joshua was also scouting him out as his next potential trainer, but it was the multi-time world champion across four different weight classes who persuaded him to stay with James instead, lest Joshua confuses himself.

"He stayed with James, and that was perfect for him because I think James may be able to get him to apply the type of pressure that he needs to apply as a bigger man when he fights people like (Oleksandr) Usyk," Jones expressed.

For those unfamiliar with James' handiwork, he was the architect of Jermell Charlo's rise to stardom after logging knockout victories against Charles Hatley and Erickson Lubin in the sixth and first rounds respectively in 2017.

He was also responsible for Errol Spence's successful conquest of Kell Brook for the IBF welterweight championship in an 11th-round stoppage and Lamont Peterson also in 2017, earning James that year's Ring magazine Trainer of the Year award.

No Smoke Boxing's sources told them that James had officially become Joshua's new trainer as of January 10, but confirmation from either Joshua or James' sides has not yet been made public.

Joshua is coming off two devastating decision losses to Ukraine's Oleksandr Usyk and is working his way back to form in the hopes of getting another big-money fight somewhere down the line.

In the eyes of many fans, Joshua has hit a wall in his career that he may not ever overcome after being stonewalled by Usyk, but Jones believes that the 2012 Olympic boxing gold medalist can rise again to championship status.

"Of course, he can. He's a very talented fighter, he's a very smart fighter. Of course, he can become world champion again," Jones confidently stated.

James has shown that he can bring out the most aggressive side in a fighter, which has been Joshua's biggest weakness up to this point in his career.

If this pairing is as good as it looks in the ring as it is on paper, Joshua could very well be back in the hunt for heavyweight gold.