By Mark Eisner: Anthony Joshua (25-3, 22 KOs) ended his two-fight losing streak to save his career on Saturday night with a boring 12 round unanimous decision over the much smaller Jermaine Franklin (21-2, 14 KOs) at the O2 Arena in London, England.
The scores were 118-111, 117-111, and 117-111. Boxing News 24 had it 10-2 for Joshua.
AJ did an excellent job of imitating Wladimir Klitschko with his jab, hold & lean style that the former heavyweight champion used late in his career after he teamed up with Emanuel Steward.
Franklin, 29, bloodied Joshua’s nose early and frequently countered him but lacked the power to put him in any real danger.
The 255-lb Joshua looked slow and musclebound and much worse than he had in a long time. What saved AJ was Franklin’s lack of power and size.
Undercard results:
- In a highly questionable stoppage, British heavyweight Fabio Wardley (16-0, 15 KOs) defeated Michael Polite-Coffie (13-4, 10 KOs) by a fourth round knockout to capture the vacant WBA Continental title. Wardley stunned the 6’5″ Coffie with a right hand in the fourth. Then Wardley unloaded with a salvo of punches, most of which were blocked by Coffie. The referee Howard Foster then stepped in and stopped the fight. Coffie, 36, didn’t look hurt, but Foster saw something in his body language that made him step in. Perhaps the lack of punches being thrown back by Coffie was the reason for the fight being halted. The time of the stoppage was at 0:45. Despite winning, Wardley failed to show the type of ability that suggests that he could hang with top 10 opposition. It would be interesting to see how the 28-year-old Wardley would do against Martin Bakole, Andy Ruiz or Filip Hrgovic.
- Flyweight Galal Yafai (4-0, 3 KOs) took care of journeyman Moises Calleros (36-11-1, 19 KOs), stopping him in the fourth round of a scheduled 10 round bout. Yafai, 30, knocked Calleros down. The fight was then halted moments later by referee Kieran McCann. The time of the stoppage was 0:44.
- Light welterweight Campbell Hatton (10-0, 4 KOs) showed some rare power in his game, stopping journeyman Louis Fielding (10-8, 1 KOs) in the first. The 22-year-old Campbell landed a beautiful left to the body of Fielding to put him on the canvas for the stoppage. Referee Kieran McCann halted the fight at 1:29). Like his famous father Ricky Hatton, Campbell can only generate power when going to the body. His punches lack steam when he goes upstairs to the head.
- Unbeaten middleweight Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams (14-0, 10 KOs) stopped River Wilson-Bent (14-3-1, 6 KOs) in the eighth round. Wilson-Bent’s corner threw in the towel. The contest was halted at 1:01. Wilson-Bent was knocked down in the seventh round. Ammo, 26, needs to start stepping it up against better opposition, and he’s not progressing with the level of opposition his management is feeding him. How Williams looked tonight, he cannot beat any of the ten contenders.
What start time is the Joshua vs. Franklin fight tonight?
Tonight’s Anthony Joshua vs. Jermaine Franklin main portion of the card will be shown live on DAZN, beginning at 2:00 pm ET from the O2 Arena in London, England.
“I believe we’re going to see a measured, destructive performance from Anthony Joshua,” said Promoter Eddie Hearn to Matchroom Boxing. “He deserves this moment with no belts and the freedom to go out and express yourself.
“Show the world how good you are. Believe in yourself. Let this guy know who’s boss. Take him out, and if he does that, fights with belief, he’ll knock Jermaine Franklin out,” said Hearn.
“Hopefully, I his a** out, but my focus is skills. To go out and dominate to the straight kill,” said Franklin. “The underdog never stayed underdog forever. We always make a way out and find a way to the top.”
“Imagine you’re saying, ‘I think Anthony is going to knock me out.’ You’re going to be thinking, ‘What a pushover.’ So he’s going to say the opposite,” said Joshua about Franklin. “I hope he believes in himself because the better he is, I can raise my game, and I look forward to the challenge.
“That’s what I’ve been working on all this time. I’m really locked in and focused, and I’m going to have the discipline from round one to round twelve,” said Joshua about his fight tonight against Franklin.
“I’m talking up Jermaine Franklin’s chances, and as I talk up his chances, I’m starting to convince myself he has a chance, and I start to panic a little bit,” said Hearn to DAZN Boxing.
“AJ feels good about the media event, the red carpet in a good place. I just feel he had a good camp. Franklin had a good camp too. He lost weight,” Hearn continued.
How do I watch Joshua vs. Franklin fight?
Boxing fans can watch Joshua vs. Franklin event tonight on DAZN, starting at 2:00 pm ET. The fight is taking place at the O2 Arena in London, England.
“He lost 22 pounds and has a six-pack there in the photos. Everybody raises their game with AJ, and he’s confident. He sees things in [Joshua’s] previous fights that he believes he can take advantage of.
“He’s a good fighter, and I think AJ has to make an impression on him early in the fight. You don’t want to start giving Jermaine Franklin confidence as the rounds go by because he’s going to start fancying the job,” said Hearn.
“We haven’t seen AJ much in the build-up to this fight. Obviously, he’s been locked away in America,” said Ade Oladipo. “You went out there and saw him a couple of weeks ago. What was he like physique-wise and spirit-wise? What was he like?”
“He looked big to me. He looked powerful,” said Hearn. “I think that the days of the heavy lifting and the strength and all that stuff, I think he still enjoys that side, but I think it’s more boxing fit now.
“[Trainer] Derrick James is renowned for getting his guys super fit, and AJ is. I think he’s throwing more punches than ever, and everybody always debates about the weight and what he’s going to come in at.
“He’ll be heavier than he was for the Usyk fight, and Franklin will be lighter than he was for the Dillian Whyte fight [last November in London]. AJ, I think, is always built for speed but built for power and heavyweight explosive action tonight.
Where is Joshua vs. Franklin?
Joshua-Franklin fight is at the O2 Arena in London, England.
“Maybe Jermaine Franklin is going for speed. Looking at the Andy Ruiz fight, looking at obviously being a smaller guy, working on the inside, and probably exchanging with him [Joshua], and that’s always dangerous.
“It lends itself to a great fight, but if Jermaine Franklin is ready to trade up with Anthony Joshua, which is a very dangerous game, that might be a tactic they look at. Bearing in mind the success Andy Ruiz had in that fight [with Joshua in June 2019 in New York],” said Hearn.
“There were some tongue-in-cheek comments from AJ the other day, saying if he loses, he retires,” said Oladipo. “But it is a long way back, isn’t it? AJ can always be rebuilt, but it is a long way back.”
Former unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua is fighting tonight with what many believe will be a retro style against Jermaine Franklin, live on DAZN at the O2 Arena in London, England.
The event has been labeled the ‘New Dawn,’ which signifies a new beginning for the 33-year-old Joshua (24-3, 22 KOs) as he rebuilds his career with a unique, likely more aggressive style taught to him by his new coach Derrick James.
