Anthony Joshua MUST beat Jermaine Franklin
Forer two-time world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua's road to redemption begins against American contender Jermain Franklin on April 1st at the O2 Arena in London.
Previously, he was on top of the world, looking to be on a collision course with fellow Briton Tyson Fury to decide who the best boxer in the heavyweight division was, which would have been a Fight of the Century contender. That was until unheralded Mexican-American Andy Ruiz rocked him with a seventh-round TKO in 2019 in what many believed was one of the biggest upsets in boxing history.
He bounced back to beat 'The Destroyer' in their contractual rematch, but Ruiz was unfit and unprepared having lived the high life as the champion for too long.
Now, AJ has since lost two on the bounce to the generational talent and future Hall of Famer Oleksandr Usyk. With the third defeat of his career came a post-fight interview that was bizarre and off-putting for many onlookers, who begane to turn on the Brit, after taking the mic from the worthy winner and ranting on aimlessly, even questioning how a man like Usyk could have beaten him.
With his stock lower than ever, Joshua is looking to prove himself once against Jermaine Franklin and see if he still belongs within the upper echelon of boxing.
Anthony Joshua
The road to this fight has been anything but smooth for one of Britain's finest boxers. If this was fought in 2019, Joshua would be the resounding favourite, but having lost his last two fights in a row, it's clear to see he's the unstoppable force he once was. However, if you were to check the boxing betting, you'd see he is expected to come out on top, being favoured 1/12 compared to outsider Franklin at 6/1. Stranger things have happened, and Joshua has lost against the odds before.
The Watford warrior started his career strongly with 22 professional victories, all by knockout. In 2016, he won the IBF heavyweight title by defeating 'Prince' Charles Martin, and he went on to add the WBA, WBO, and IBO titles to his collection in subsequent fights. The unified champ was even involved in some of the biggest fights in recent boxing history, including his 2017 victory over Wladimir Klitschko in front of a crowd of 90,000 at Wembley Stadium in London. It seemed nothing could rock his confidence until his first loss. However, that clash with the faded Ukrainian gave a glimpse of his vulnerabilities. His bitter rival, Tyson Fury, toyed with 'Dr Steelhammer' during their 2015 bout, which saw the Morecombe man dethrone the 10-year reigning champ in his own backyard in Germany, where he fought most of his career. Fury won via a clear unanimous decision even after having a point deducted in the 11th. But when AJ fought Wlad a year and a half later, who had come out of retirement for the stadium fight, it was life and death for him. He was knocked down in the sixth round and came seconds away from being stopped, but that was all forgotten after scoring a dramatic 11th round knockout.
But it gave the ongoing debate about who wins, Joshua or Fury, a very different perspective.
That Joshua is different from what we see now. After his latest bout against Usyk, he was left broken. His post-match interview was difficult to watch, as he said some questionable things that highlighted his lack of confidence. The Ukrainian appears to have rattled him and made him really question himself as a boxer.
To come back, Joshua really needs to refine his technical ability. He has even come out and said that he didn't take his training seriously enough in the lead-up to his last fight. It's strange, considering it was one of the biggest fights of his career, and he should have been thirsty for revenge. However, he claims to have gone into this camp with a heightened sense of focus, but only time will tell.
The Losses
Ruiz rocked Joshua after stepping in to replace Jarrell Miller. Some may have cited his lack of preparation against that particular fighter, the change of opponent affecting him, but Ruiz had even less time to prepare for the fight. Having started boxing aged six, Ruiz was able to jump straight in as a late replacement and do what he has done his entire life, which is win. Joshua was able to redeem himself in the rematch, scoring a points victory, his first non-KO win in what was a safe, somewhat cagey performance where he tried everything not to engage 'The Destroyer' in a firefight, keeping out of range and boxing with his superior reach from the outside. The ill-disciplined champion urged AJ to step closer and fight him, but the Brit intelligently didn't take the bait and stuck to his perfect game plan.
It should have been a sign for things to come, as although he won his tune-up fight against Kubrat Pulev, Joshua would succumb to the technical skill of Usyk twice. The Ukrainian expert just had too much experience and skil, showing how far Joshua still needed to come. The Londoner is miles off a fight with Fury now, and fans may feel cheated if they never get to see the contest. However, the question as to who wins has categorically been answered by now.
The Redemption
Joshua's redemption starts in this fight. Although it appears on paper that he outclasses Franklin, he needs to put him away in convincing fashion to regain his confidence and that of the fans too. If he can get a good head of steam, we may see the old relentless, powerful, spiteful AJ once again. Here's hoping.