By Charles Brun: Eddie Hearn says in absolute terms that Anthony Joshua vs. Jermaine Franklin fight “WILL be” entirely sold out on April 1st for their headliner at the O2 Arena in London.
Hearn seems to be kind of defensive about the ticket sale situation for Joshua-Franklin, and it clearly bothers him because it’s forcing him to confront the bitter reality of what’s happening to Joshua, with fans abandoning him like rats fleeing a sinking ship as she goes under.
Facing the truth about Joshua could be hard for Hearn because he’s been his #1 money-maker all these years and a handy recruitment lure to bring other fighters to the Matchroom stable.
Reports are that ticket sales have been poor, with fans not hurriedly scooping them up as they’ve traditionally done for the famous Joshua’s past fights in the UK, which some interpret as a sign of AJ’swaning popularity due to his recent string of defeats.
More worrisome than poor ticket sales is the possibility of Joshua (24-3, 22 KOs) losing to the younger, faster, ambitious 29-year-old Franklin (21-1, 14 KOs) and retiring afterward.
What happens if Joshua loses to Franklin?
It’s fair to say that Joshua has reached the end of his rope as far as suffering losses and changing out trainers. In Joshua’s desperate to save his sinking career, he’s now on his third trainer, Derrick James, hoping that he can save him from going under.
But unfortunately, there’s only so much any coach can do when a fighter is falling apart due to age, a weak chin, and a worsening cardiovascular situation. You can’t stick a flawed fighter like Joshua in with Derrick James and expect him to transform him into an unbeatable warrior magically.
“It’s Jermaine Franklin, not [Wladimir] Klitschko or anyone he’s fought before. But it will be completely sold out on the night, and it will be a great atmosphere,” said Eddie Hearn to The Mirror on Anthony Joshua vs. Jermaine Franklin tickets being sold out for O2 Arena on April 1st.
“I think it will be a very tough fight. We need to just beat Jermaine Franklin, which I really feel is a tough fight,” said Hearn.
Hearn hasn’t said what his plans are for Joshua if he loses to Franklin. First, Hearn will likely need to do a lot of convincing to Joshua to keep him from retiring on the spot, as getting beaten by Franklin, a fringe contender, will be an awfully bitter pill to swallow.
Provided Hearn can keep Joshua from hanging up his gloves after a loss to Franklin, he will need to take him backward in a regressive way, looking to match him against the likes of Derek Chisora, Fabio Wardley, or Alen Babic-type domestic-level opposition.
Even someone like the played-out Dillian Whyte would likely be too dangerous for Joshua.
“If he comes through that, is Tyson Fury available if he doesn’t fight Oleksandr Usyk?” said Hearn.
“Deontay Wilder, Dillian Whyte? It will be one of those three. But now all eyes are on April 1. It’s a tough fight, and I hope he comes through in style,” said Hearn.