Eddie Hearn thinks that some of the speculation about his promotional client Anthony Joshua and the impending overhaul of his corner is overblown.  

Joshua, the former unified heavyweight champion from London, has been scouring the globe since his unanimous points loss to Oleksandr Usyk last September, looking for mentors who can help him make the necessary adjustments in the rematch, reportedly being aimed for the spring in England.

Joshua was spotted traveling throughout the United States last fall meeting met with veteran trainers such as Robert Garcia, Ronnie Shields, Virgil Hunter, and Eddy Reynoso, leaving many with the impression that Joshua will be leaving his longtime trainer Robert McCracken, who has presided over Joshua’s development since his amateur days and who was roundly criticized for his less-than-effective instruction to charge in the Usyk match. Some reports suggest McCracken will stay on with the team but in a reduced capacity.

Whatever happens, Hearn believes the changes Joshua (24-2, 22 KOs) will make to his entourage will not be as drastic as some think.

“‘AJ’s, one, a very loyal person,” Hearn told BBC’s 5 Live Boxing. “And, two, he has a lot of respect for the people that have helped him on the journey so far. There’ll definitely be a huge number of people still involved in the AJ team that were there before.

“I don’t see this as a clear out, getting rid of everybody. I just see this as a tweak to make sure he gets it right.”

This is not the first time that Joshua, 32, has felt the need to make changes in his fighting style. He went through a similar existential period after getting upset by Andy Ruiz in 2019 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Joshua exacted revenge in the rematch six months later in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, in part, by fighting more off the back foot and relying on his jab.

“He’s made tweaks in the past, of course, around the Andy Ruiz rematch, got that right,” Hearn said. “Now, he just feels like I guess he just needs to evolve again.”

Ironically, that same approach used in the Ruiz rematch is exactly what many critics feel led to his downfall against the superbly dexterous Usyk, a former unified champion in the cruiserweight division.

“The real work with the new team will start at the beginning of February,” Hearn continued. “I’m sure he’ll make an announcement regarding who’s going to be on that team. There will be changes. He's been bringing people in. He’s been working hard over the last couple of months on how that camp is going to look and of course the people within that camp.

“He knows that he must get this right. He’s been doing the work behind the scenes to make sure that he builds the right environment, the right team, to take him to victory against Oleksandr Usyk.”