Having lost his last two fights to Oleksandr Usyk, Anthony Joshua will hope to start his comeback tour with a win against Jermaine Franklin. The Brit will be hoping to use his height and chip away at Franklin’s strength and stamina.
Franklin was not as dangerous in the first round as Joshua would have liked but he proved to be more than a match for the Brit in round 2. He kept his distance while also taking Joshua on with his jab.
Joshua’s game plan
Anthony Joshua will look to bounce back from his losses to Oleksandr Usyk when he takes on Jermaine Franklin at the O2 Arena in London on Saturday. The 32-year-old former unified heavyweight champion has been rebuilding after losing back-to-back fights to Usyk.
As such, Joshua will be looking to get back into the win column in order to regain his spot among the top heavyweights in the world. He will also want to build some momentum going forward as he looks to make a move towards a title shot against Tyson Fury or Deontay Wilder.
As such, he will need to find a way to outsmart Franklin and put him on the backfoot in order to win the fight. This is a tough task, but one that Joshua should be prepared to take on.
Round 1
Anthony Joshua made a successful return to the ring in the main event of DAZN’s Saturday night fight card at The O2 Arena in London. The Brit took control of the fight over 12 rounds to seal a unanimous decision win.
Round two: Joshua stymies Franklin’s early momentum, establishing his jab well before gliding away from a flurry. The American’s body shots are getting through but he can’t find that right hand to throw off the Brit.
Joshua’s clinching worked as intended, exhausting Franklin with a steady flow of punches, and AJ’s consistent jab kept Franklin at bay in the later rounds. There was a little brawl in the ring after the final bell that resulted in a bit of an ugly exchange, but overall the fight went the distance and secured a victory for the British champion.
Round 2
Joshua returns to the ring after back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk, looking to get his winning streak going with a victory over Jermaine Franklin. The British fighter’s confidence has been at a low but he has been able to adapt his game plan for this fight against Franklin.
Round 2: AJ is starting to pick Franklin off with his jabs and he is establishing himself early. He looks to clinch and work the body.
AJ is keeping the pressure on, although he is proving to be a touch slow in this round. He lands a couple of body shots and a lovely left uppercut.
Round 3
In what was an expected clash between two of the world’s top heavyweights, Anthony Joshua made a successful return to boxing as he beat Jermaine Franklin by unanimous decision in front of the sold out O2 Arena crowd. The Brit has not lost since his first professional loss to Dillian Whyte in November of last year and his victory over Franklin could see him push for a world title shot in the Summer.
The Brit’s game plan was well thought out and he controlled the jab with frequent success. He also added right hand shots to his repertoire in the second round which proved effective in the tenth when he rocked Franklin with a right uppercut.
Round 4
Joshua is looking for his third win over Franklin in a row. He lost his first to Andy Ruiz in 2019 and fell to unified world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk last time out.
In the first round Joshua was clearly looking to take control of this fight and it started off well. He came forward and tested Franklin with his jabs.
AJ stepped back smartly from the smaller Franklin’s shots and managed to keep the American at distance. He then landed an unbelievable uppercut to wobble Franklin.
Both fighters were clinching and it was tough to see who would go down. They were both bleeding from the shorts and AJ was putting in the effort to win this one.
Round 5
Joshua is winning the fight so far through his reach and jab. Franklin is trying to keep him honest and is still bleeding from his nose.
Round five: The pair trade jabs. The American is trying to get in range with a straight left jab but Joshua is not afraid of it.
Another short jab from Joshua to the body, Franklin opens his guard a little allowing AJ to land.
AJ is putting up a decent fight and should win this one on points.
Franklin is getting in and out of clinches but Joshua’s reach and jabs are winning the round so far. The Brit will take this one and go home happy.
Round 6
Joshua has a good opening to this round, pushing Franklin back with a jab before landing some solid body shots. He’s also been throwing his head around in the clinch, drawing a warning from the referee.
He landed a nice uppercut to wobble Franklin and he followed it up with a right hand. This drew some attention from the crowd and it looked like they were going to clinch.
They fought the rest of this round like that and Joshua was winning. The fight went to a final round after Joshua was unable to break Franklin’s defences.
This was a very close fight, but Joshua won via unanimous decision. He’s got a chance to reclaim his world titles in December. It won’t be easy, but he should be well positioned for that fight. He’s the favourite.
Round 7
Anthony Joshua has won a narrow majority decision against Jermaine Franklin in a crucial heavyweight match at the O2 Arena. The win will re-launch the British fighter’s career towards his accustomed position at the upper end of the heavyweight division.
Round seven: A decent jab battle in the early stages of the round. Joshua continues to dictate behind a steady jab.
Another solid exchange in the centre of the ring midway through, as Franklin attempts to bully his way inside with a combination.
AJ eats a nasty body shot before fires back with a hard uppercut. Franklin counters with a good hook and then clinches.
Round 8
Joshua landed a solid jab to start the round and forced Franklin to return fire with a right hand. It looked like the Brit was settling down in this round and not trying to rush forward.
The fight got a bit more interesting in this round with both guys exchanging and throwing some big shots. A few clinches and some body shots were exchanged too.
AJ was getting tired and struggling to keep his gas level up, but he still managed to win this round by landing two big shots. It was a good effort from the Brit but it wasn’t enough to stop the American.
Round 9
After suffering back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk and fighting just two times since the start of 2021, Anthony Joshua is looking to gather some momentum and win his way back into the heavyweight top 10 with a victory over Jermaine Franklin on Saturday.
With a big betting favorite and a chance to put some distance between himself and the upcoming WBC title fight between unbeaten contender Tyson Fury, this is an important clash for the former two-time unified heavyweight champion.
Joshua showcased a solid jab and powerful straight rights, while Franklin displayed quick hands but struggled to counteract his opponent’s size advantage. Although he was able to make some ground on the scorecards, it wasn’t enough to secure the win for Joshua.
