Audley Harrison believes Anthony Joshua’s mistakes are “simple to fix”
Former Olympic gold medalist and European champion boxer Audley Harrison weighed in on the current landscape of boxing as he puts himself forward as Anthony Joshua’s saving grace in a potential Daniel Dubois rematch, provisionally booked for February 22, 2025.
Audley told Betway, “He’s facing a different kind of beast because Daniel Dubois has tasted victory. Now he feels like the real champ, having beaten a real fighter.
“Dubois will be a different animal to beat a second time around. I know there’s a rematch clause, and I think he’ll take it, but it’s going to be tougher this time. Technically, he can get there if he makes some adjustments, but there’s no guarantee that the outcome will be different.
“I think AJ can learn some more, and if he stays with Ben Davison, he might need to bring someone else in to help tidy everything up. Then he should go for the rematch.
“Dubois would be the favourite — he might even walk through him because AJ made some fundamental mistakes last time, stepping back with his hands down, giving Dubois a free shot. It was a cardinal sin at heavyweight – you can’t do that.
“Dubois will be confident and won’t get complacent in training. He’ll train just as hard. So, he has to be the favourite, but I wouldn’t write AJ off completely. He’s got a solid chance if he makes the right adjustments.”
Harrison then said that he believes he could be the one to make improvements to Joshua’s game, “Of course, it would be myself. He’s missing something. He’s had his setbacks — what happened with Ruiz, the losses, switching trainers — and each one brings something different.
“So, as a team, they need to look at why they lost and if they can correct those mistakes for a rematch with Dubois. Potentially, they believe they can because the errors, like stepping back with your hands down, are simple to fix. Maybe they feel they have it covered, but I’d ask them to question it.”
Harrison trained in America during his career and believes that Joshua could learn from the likes of Riddick Bowe, Larry Holmes and even his biggest rival, Tyson Fury.
“If you want to win that fight and then finish your career strong against someone like Fury, there are still things that need ironing out. Someone like myself, I could sit there and take the time to fix those things with you in the ring.
“Too many fighters neglect shadow boxing, I can tell Tyson Fury does a lot of shadow boxing; I can see it in how he moves. Not enough trainers understand its importance or how to do it with instruction.
“For Joshua’s style, his shoulders need to be a bit looser. Shadow boxing could help that. He’s got great combination punching — uppercuts, hooks — but without enough shadow boxing, it’s not second nature.
“I’d have Joshua watching videos of Riddick Bowe. His style could be so similar with just a little more fluidity, making his hands his defence, using his shoulders to roll, and getting under punches. I could give him the tools to maximise his style, making him far more dynamic, dangerous and complete. Dubois wouldn’t be able to land a shot clean. And if he did, he’d walk right into a counter.
“I’d still love to work with Joshua now, bringing in what I learned from American trainers, rolling, stepping off the line, keeping your shoulders loose and relaxed.
“None of today’s trainers seem to have that knowledge, especially for heavyweights. You need to have more bounce in your movement, you see it with Usyk and Tyson Fury, having that bounce and rhythm.
“All the greats had it: Larry Holmes, Riddick Bowe, even Wladimir Klitschko. And I had it, too, because it was passed down to me. But many modern fighters are missing this. It’s becoming a lost art.”
Wilder vs AJ
“I was excited about seeing Wilder and Joshua, and maybe still want to see it. Wilder and Joshua had all the intrigue, it was a great matchup, like Rocky and Apollo Creed. It had all the hype but it’s faded a bit now, especially with Deontay Wilder’s style changing.
“Wilder being backed up is a different fighter than the one who came forward throwing bombs. Now, you’d probably give AJ the advantage. People want to see both of them get back on track. Wilder is still Wilder, though — the guy who knocked out 39 guys coming forward, using his range and distance.
“Can an old dog learn new tricks? When Wilder gets backed up, they still haven’t figured out how to make him effective. I believe those things can still be corrected, even at this late stage. If he fixes that, he could have one of the greatest comebacks ever. But they need to correct how he handles being backed up.
“Right now, Joshua would probably be the favourite, but I still think Wilder, if he worked on that weakness, could make it a great fight. Their styles would make it an exciting matchup.”
I used to spar Deontay Wilder a lot in camp, but he absolutely mauled me in our actual bout!
“I had Deontay Wilder in training camp two years before and I sparred with him a lot, but in 20-ounce gloves. He improved so much in those two years, and when you’re wearing 10-ounce gloves, punches hit differently.
“I didn’t want to be stopped in that fight. I was upset with the referee. I knew it could be my last fight, and I wanted to go out on my shield. But my balance was gone, my legs were gone. It felt like I was swimming in there. That was tough. I didn’t accept it. I’d be in those situations, getting hit, and my balance was all over the place. But you have to look in the mirror.”