By Brian Webber: Anthony Joshua says he’s taking his opponent Jermaine Franklin very seriously and keeping his feet on the ground for their contest on April 1st at the O2 Arena in London.
Joshua’s two upset losses, the first two Andy Ruiz Jr in 2019 and then Oleksandr Usyk in 2021, make it imperative that AJ not overlook Franklin (21-1, 14 KOs) because he’s just as capable of winning as those two fighters.
As we saw with Franklin’s recent masterclass performance against Dillian Whyte last November in London, he’s got skills that Joshua hasn’t seen before in the pro ranks, and he could pull off the upset despite being greatly outsized by the big 6’6″ former two-time heavyweight champion.
Has Eddie Hearn lost confidence in Joshua?
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn sounded less confident speaking about his future today at the kickoff press conference.
When Hearn spoke of not knowing if the 33-year-old Joshua (24-3, 22 KOs) had four to six fights before retirement, he had a gloomy look on his face, which one could see as doubt about AJ’s future.
“I’m going to keep my feet on the ground and take him seriously,” said Anthony Joshua about Jermaine Franklin during Thursday’s kickoff press conference.
“Obviously the run has been incredible, and it’s been over six years since we were at the O2. I won’t read off the opponents because I’ve done it a million times, but going back to that venue, I remember when you boxed Emmanuel Leo,” said Eddie Hearn talking to Joshua.
“You turned up and had that Italian tracksuit on, and I thought, ‘You look serious.’ You took care of him, Kevin Johnson, Gary Cornish, Dillian Whyte, Charles Martin, and Dominic Breazeale as well. It’s good to be back there,” said Hearn.
Joshua happy to be back at work
“I don’t care where I box. It’s good to be working, another night of work,” said Joshua. “It’s been a long time, fighting for belts, challenging people. I think it’s 12 championship fights back to back.
“As you said, you’ve seen the development from Emanuel Leo up until now. I’ve tried to adapt my style because, in this sport in heavyweight boxing, it’s about longevity. You have to adapt and understand it’s the sweet science and not get hit,” said Joshua about his mindset.
“That’s to discount Jermaine, that if he loses to Jermaine, he should retire,” said his promoter Dmitry Salita to Boxing Social. “I believe Jermaine is a world class heavyweight. This is the toughest American heavyweight that AJ could have chosen to fight. I believe Jermaine is going to shine very brightly on April 1st,” said Salita.
