Fury-Joshua May Be Alive Should AJ Beat Franklin
There is a lot at stake for Anthony Joshua when he faces Jermaine Franklin in the latest fight in his career. After back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk, his reputation in the heavyweight division has taken a dent.
Many talented heavyweights have bounced back from losses to win a world title again. Should Joshua prevail with an impressive performance against his latest opponent, he can put those defeats to the Ukrainian behind him and look ahead to bigger and better things.
AJ Favourite to Defeat American Opponent
Joshua is expected to shine on his comeback to the ring. He is the long odds-on favourite at 1/14 in the Anthony Joshua v Jermaine Franklin betting. This will be the first time since 2015 that he is involved in a fight where there isn’t a world title on the line.
Anthony Joshua says he will retire from boxing if he loses against Jermaine Franklin… ???? pic.twitter.com/3ovCsRbnhf
— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) March 28, 2023
The two-time world champion will be aware that talks between Fury and Usyk have broken down, so if he prevails against Franklin, he could earn himself a shot at Fury’s WBC title. British boxing fans have been wanting to see that fight for many years now.
Joshua Will Feel He Has Something to Prove
AJ has lost just three times in 24 fights in his professional career. His first defeat came against Andy Ruiz Jr in 2019. He responded well to that loss, as he dominated the rematch later that year. The British heavyweight boxed smartly in that fight, using his height and reach to his advantage.
Although Joshua did improve in his rematch with Usyk, he still didn’t have the right answers to defeat the former undisputed cruiserweight champion. The heavyweight champion is now the number one ranked boxer in the pound-for-pound rankings, so when AJ retires from the sport, those losses are unlikely to damage his reputation too much.
Joshua will have had eight months out of the sport when he faces Franklin in London. The former Olympic champion will be desperate to show he is a better boxer now than the one that last stepped into the ring.
Fury Will Have a Close Eye on The Fight
As is always the case with the major fights in the heavyweight division, Fury is expected to be ringside for the Joshua-Franklin clash, and it would be no surprise to see him call out his rival should he come through the fight.
Fury prevailed against Derek Chisora for a third time last December and frustratingly for the Gypsy King, he has not been able to land a fight with Usyk for all four major belts in the division. He now must find a new opponent for his next contest, as it looks like talks between the two champions’ parties have completely broken down.
This summer may prove the perfect opportunity for the Joshua and Fury bout to be made. A fight of that magnitude would need an outside stadium, and Wembley and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium are likely to be available during football’s off-season.
For now, Joshua can’t afford to take his focus off Franklin. Defeat in this fight and it is hard to see where he goes from here.
Fury vs Joshua
Boxing Promoter Eddie Hearn said the public would 'demand' a title fight between his fighter Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury if the former puts in a great performance against Jermaine Franklin this weekend – despite comments to the contrary today by Fury's promoter Frank Warren.
He said: "I don't want to get carried away because we've been there before, but I think if Anthony Joshua is to put a great performance together on Saturday, I think the public would almost demand that fight to take place. There's no barriers, there's no time constraints, there's no mandatory defences. But let's have that conversation on Sunday, because we've got everything crossed for Saturday night."