McCraken’s Olympic duties could conflict with Joshua-Fury unification

Could Anthony Joshua be without his lead trainer for the biggest fight of his career?

The fight for an undisputed heavyweight title unification between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury isn’t 100% signed and sealed as of yet, but there’s already potential for a conflict in Joshua’s camp as the targeted timeline for the summer fight also coincides with the Tokyo Olympics, for which Joshua’s trainer Rob McCraken serves as the trainer for Team Great Britain.

Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn tells Sky Sports that with all the work that’s been put in to secure a date and site for the fight, it won’t be moving, so says Joshua might need to have a conversation with his team about how he’ll handle his camp.

“McCracken is an integral part of the training team and AJ, of course, will want him there. I’ll let those guys talk. I’ve got to deliver the deal. If we can work around [McCracken’s potential absence], then fantastic. If we need to have a difficult conversation? That’s over to those guys.”

Hearn continued by saying that McCraken’s availability won’t have any influence on when and where Joshua and Fury fight, but you can imagine that Joshua will probably like to have his longtime trainer knee deep in the trenches with him for a shot at the undisputed heavyweight crown.