Deontay Wilder’s coach says Anthony Joshua change has given him “pure confidence”

Anthony Joshua looked “good and strong” in his knockout win over Francis Ngannou and has rediscovered the “realm of pure confidence”.

That was the glowing verdict of Deontay Wilder’s coach Malik Scott, who believes Joshua’s trainer Ben Davison has been key to his revival at the top of the heavyweight division.

Joshua, a two-time world heavyweight champion, is in line for a shot at the winner of the undisputed world title fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk next month after a couple of impressive performances.

And Scott has been very impressed with Joshua’s renaissance since suffering back-to-back defeats to Usyk.

“I thought AJ looked good and strong, my favorite part was watching him work on a shot in the locker room and then coming right out and executing it,” Scott told Instant Casinos.

“Ngannou had never experienced the AJ system before; very strong, very violent, very distant. Taking his time with you, letting you feel his presence and then taking out the trash.

“He’s always been a threat at the top of the division but he’s really coming into the realm of pure confidence and I think Ben Davison has had a lot of influence over that.”

The 34-year-old followed up a stoppage win over Otto Wallin with a destructive knockout win over Ngannou, in a fight that was originally slated to be against Wilder.

On the same night Joshua beat Wallin, Wilder was stunned by Joseph Parker which scuppered any chance of the fight happening last month.

Joshua and Wilder were simultaneously world heavyweight champions for years and, for whatever reason, a fight between them never materialized.

Scott insists it is a fight Wilder still wants but acknowledges his fighter must get past hard hitting Chinese heavyweight Zhilei Zhang in his next fight if he is to harbor any hopes of finally sharing a ring with Joshua.

“I’m sure Deontay still wants AJ but we’re in a place right now where we’re dealing with a high-level dangerous fight,” Scott added.

“We need to deal with what’s in front of us, especially coming off our last performance. I don’t want his focus or desire anywhere but knocking Zhang out. 

“We really cannot afford anything else. Deontay is back vengeful. Against Joseph Parker the rounds went by and he wasn’t vengeful, he was in a place of contentment, a place of not being able to let the trigger go. 

“But now our back is against the wall, he knows what he needs to do. I think Zhang’s size, power and danger will bring the best out of Deontay.”