By Jim Calfa: Eddie Hearn is pleased that the tickets are moving well for the April 1st fight between Anthony Joshua and Jermaine Franklin at the O2 Arena in London.
A triumphant Hearn says 15,000 tickets have already been solid, with only 1,000 remaining for former unified heavyweight champion Joshua’s 12 round main event clash against the American Franklin (21-1, 14 KOs) in London.
It’s important that the Joshua-Franklin fight be a sellout because it would show the boxing world that the 33-year-old Joshua is still a big draw in the box office and not the washed-up fighter that some fans believe him to be.
Hearn gloats over Joshua-Franklin ticket sales
Joshua and Hearn have received criticism from boxing fans and the media over the slow ticket sales for the Franklin fight, and some have interpreted this as a sign of AJ losing his popularity after his recent back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk.
It’s perhaps more of a case of Franklin not being a big enough name to excite the fans, who saw him lose to Dillian Whyte last November at the Wembley Arena in London. Although Franklin gave Whyte massive headaches for 10 of the 12 rounds, he lost the fight by a majority decision.
“We’ve sold 15,000 tickets; we have less than 1,000 tickets left,” said Eddie Hearn to talkSPORT Boxing about the ticket situation for Anthony Joshua vs. Jermaine Franklin fight on April 1st at the O2 Arena in London.
“They probably haven’t gone as quickly as I thought they’d go. It’s not easy at the moment,” Hearn continued. “But we will be completely sold out on the night without any comps.
“There is a real agenda and a propaganda mission from some people, and it’s total b****cks.”
Joshua not overlooking Franklin
“He’s been around boxing for a long time. I know he had a job because boxing wasn’t his main source of income,” said Joshua to talkSPORT Boxing about Franklin.
“I look at fighters coming up. They’ve got to go through so much stuff to get to the top. Franklin is here now, and he’s arriving at certain rivals, fighting Rydell Booker, Dillian Whyte, and myself. He’s getting that recognition that he yearned for in a long time.
“He wants to prove himself. I can’t underestimate the guy. He’s more deceiving than people think, so I’m going to go in there and give him the utmost respect. I’m going to keep my head in the right place,” said Joshua about him not underestimating Franklin.
