Anthony Joshua ‘likes’ post slamming his former trainer after Moses Itauma was stretchered out of ring in shock defeat

ANTHONY JOSHUA’s account liked an Instagram post slamming his former trainer in the wake of Moses Itauma’s loss to Filip Hrgovic. The meteoric rise of the British heavyweight was brought to a screeching halt after he suffered a first career defeat against the Croat. Anthony Joshua liked a post questioning the training of Moses Itauma after his loss to Filip Hrgovic Credit: Getty Joshua’s former trainer Ben Davison was questioned by an Instagram account Credit: Getty Itauma pushed the pace early on and appeared to be in comfortable control of the fight on the scorecards heading into the second half of the bout. But the physical toll began to really show on Itauma, who was clearly exhausted by the eighth round as he searched for stoppage win. Sign up for the Sport newsletter Thank you! And in the ninth it proved too much, with Itauma so tired he was practically out on his feet, before Hrgovic backed him into a corner and forced a stoppage. Fans questioned Itauma’s conditioning, with some pointing the finger at his trainer Ben Davison. And among them was boxer and coach Nathan Darby, who wrote a lengthy Instagram post questioning Davison, which was liked by Joshua. The British icon is no stranger to the trainer, who worked with the Watford native until the pair split ahead of his bout with YouTuber/boxer Jake Paul last December. Darby wrote: “I’m not a fan of blaming trainers every time a fighter loses, and I definitely don’t think fighters should jump ship after one bad night. “But when do we start questioning the coaching? Most read in Sport SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET UP TO £100 BONUS Itauma looked the better of the pair until he ran out of energy Credit: Getty “Modern training is heavily influenced by sports science, managing workload, recovery and knowing when the body has done enough. All important. “But boxing isn’t just physical. There’s a mental toughness that can only be built by being pushed into uncomfortable places. “After Itauma vs Hrgovic, and now seeing similar patterns with other Ben Davison fighters, I think it’s a fair conversation to have. “Are majority of modern day fighters lacking elite mental strength due to modern training methods?” It’s hard to argue that Itauma wasn’t mentally strong enough, given he was so exhausted by the end of the bout that he had to be carried out of the ring on a stretcher and taken to hospital. But the fact he chose to commit so much energy that he ended up that way has been attributed to his lack of experience. Itauma has backed himself to learn from his mistakes and come back strong, a sentiment that classy Hrgovic echoed after the fight. Comment now