Tag: Rob McCracken

Eddie Hearn: Tyson Fury risks opening cut if he spars with Anthony Joshua

Anthony Joshua promoter Eddie Hearn says Tyson Fury is at risk of rupturing a healed wound above his right eye if Joshua spars with Fury.

Anthony Joshua promoter Eddie Hearn says Tyson Fury is at risk of rupturing a healed wound above his right eye if in fact Joshua joins Fury as a sparring partner for the rematch with Deontay Wilder on Feb. 22.

Hearn told iTV Monday that he wouldn’t be surprised if Joshua in fact did spar with Fury, who is expected to train in Detroit with new cornerman SugarHill Steward.

“Doesn’t matter what I or (Joshua trainer) Rob (McCracken) will say, he’ll just go,’’ Hearn said. “I wouldn’t want to open up that cut.”

There were some of the same concerns when Fury jumped into pro-wrestling in Saudi Arabia on Oct. 31. He emerged from that Halloween show with no reported issues with the cut, which required 42 stitches in surgery on the day after Fury suffered the nasty wound in a decision over Otto Wallin on Sept. 14 in Las Vegas.

Fury, who also sustained a cut on his right eyelid against Wallin, was cleared to resume sparring this month. However, boxing isn’t scripted like pro wrestling.

Accidents happen, in sparring and fights. Wilder has already promised to test the cut early and often in their ESPN/Fox pay-per-view fight at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand.

“I’m going to find out just how good his plastic surgeon is,’’ Wilder said at a news conference in late September.

Anthony Joshua trainer Rob McCracken: ‘There’s no room for error’

Anthony Joshua trainer Rob McCracken believes the best chances for beating Andy Ruiz on Dec. 7 is for Joshua to use his height and length.

Don’t expect Anthony Joshua to brawl when he faces Andy Ruiz in their highly anticipated rematch Saturday in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia  on DAZN.

According to Joshua’s trainer, Rob McCracken, the game plan is for the musclebound Joshua to box the rotund, yet quick-fisted Ruiz on the outside. No senseless trading on the inside.

“Ruiz is an underrated world-class fighter, but if you’ve got the height and reach, like Josh, you must use it,” McCracken told The Guardian in a recent interview.

The approach makes sense, given Joshua’s troubles in the first fight. Joshua had dropped Ruiz midway through the third round and was looking to close the fight when Ruiz whacked him on the right temple with a hook on the inside. It led to the first of four knockdowns before Ruiz earned a stoppage in the seventh round.

McCracken has been criticized in some corners for negatively impacting Joshua’s style, converting the natural puncher into a safety-first boxer in the mold of Wladimir Klitschko. But McCracken, who has been with Joshua throughout his amateur and professional careers, believes the occasion rightfully calls for a bit of caution.

“There can be no fooling around,” McCracken said. “The minute you don’t, you’re open to quick, powerful hooks off these heavyweights. And Ruiz is one of the best.”

McCracken also pointed out that Joshua had some trouble with smaller, quicker heavyweights in the amateur ranks, and Ruiz fits that profile.

“(Joshua has) beaten numerous small, mobile heavyweights, and he’s lost to a couple of them,” McCracken said. “Sometimes fighters are just good. Ruiz has good technical ability. He can measure the distance. Knows how to defend. Got a half-decent jab, good timing and speed.”

McCracken said he respected Ruiz’s ability even before he pulled off the upset. In fact, the trainer admitted that Ruiz was not high on his list of possible opponents to replace Jarrell Miller, who was scheduled to fight Joshua in the summer but tested positive for PEDs.

“I wasn’t keen on Ruiz,” McCracken said. “I much preferred a couple of other opponents.”

Still, McCracken believes his man has the right tools to beat a path to victory – provided he follows the strategy to a tee.

“(Joshua) knows that if he does everything right,” McCracken said, “he’ll win, but there’s no room for error.”