The mentor of the American former heavyweight champion (over 90.7 kg) Deontay Wilder, as well as the permanent sparring partner of the unified champion from Ukraine Oleksandr Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs) Malik Scott gave
interview for the British media.
Malik commented on the rumors about the choice of a new coach by British ex-unified champion Anthony Joshua (24-3, 22 KOs), spoke about the work of Robert Garcia, with whom Joshua was preparing for a rematch with Usyk, and also told his vision of the upcoming fight for the title of absolute heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk – Tyson Fury.
What can you say about Anthony Joshua? It’s still unofficial, but it looks like he’s chosen Derrick James as coach. What can you say about this change?
– From the point of view of the coach, I think he made a very good choice. But in my humble opinion… I say this in all modesty, but it can be perceived in different ways. I don’t think Joshua needs a new coach. I’ve been saying this for a long time. Rob McCracken was perfect for him. But of course, when fighters lose, things change. I think the problem is Joshua, maybe it’s something inside. This is just my opinion. As for Derrick James, you can check my social media, you can check my interviews. He is one of the best coaches in the world. I watched him as a kid when he fought. Studied him when he was a fighter. And when he became a coach, I always studied his work. I think he is the coach of the year. It’s well deserved. It’s not some commercial trophy they give. He really deserved it. The statistics speak in his favor. He deserved it. I like the choice that Joshua made. But in my personal opinion, Joshua doesn’t need a new coach. I think Joshua has internal problems.
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“He goes from Robert Garcia to Derrick James. These are, of course, different types of coaches. Do you think if you forget about internal problems, will it add something to Joshua, will it bring any benefit?
“Actually, I think Robert did a good job with him for the Usyk fight. But obviously more is needed. We just don’t know everything. You hired Robert Garcia, you lost the fight, but you looked better than the first fight with Usyk. But he is looking for a new coach. I think he will get the plus or minus of an easier opponent. Will look good against him. And as soon as he looks better, he will say: “It’s because of the coach.” When, in fact, Joshua’s real battles are in the highest competitions, at high levels. So let’s see.
Sounds like Tyson Fury vs Usyk will be the next fight. Break the fight for me. How do you think it will pass?
— I give 50 to 50. I believe that size matters, but I also believe that if you are dealing with someone who knows how to work with size, then size does not matter. Then it all comes down to skills. And when it comes down to skills, Oleksandr Usyk is extremely skilled. When it comes down to skill and size, Tyson Fury is also extremely skilled. I think this fight will come down to who has more skill, not big fighter and small fighter. That’s what I think. I don’t really care about sizes. I’ve never been a fan of talking about sizes. I think if you’re fighting a bigger fighter, then you need to treat him accordingly. If you fight with a small one, then you need to treat him accordingly. If you can’t handle someone’s “physics” because of the size – it’s just your skills at that level. Oleksandr Usyk has a set of skills. He always finds a way to win, but also Tyson Fury always finds a way to win. It’s a 50-50 fight in my opinion.