By Victor Kanayo
British-Nigerian boxer, Anthony Joshua, has settled for an American opponent Jermaine Franklin ahead of anticipated April 1 heavyweight clash.
The fight is expected to take place at the famous O2 Arena.
Joshua’s new opponent is 6ft 2, with a record of 21-1.
He trained with Tyson Fury during the build up to his fight with Dillian Whyte, but unfortunately for the American, he was defeated by Whyte after 12 rounds.
The American is eager to prove himself against Joshua, with promoter Dimitry Salita, believing he can pull off a great upset.
On his part, Joshua has not appeared in the ring since August 2022, where he lost his second consecutive fight against Oleksander Usyk.
He lost his first fight against the Ukrainian in September 2021 and has being stripped of his WBA, WBO and IBF belts.
He was unable to win them back the following year, losing both fights on the judges’ scorecards.
Meanwhile, reigning champion Fury has closed the door on the highly anticipated potential ‘Battle of Britain’ with Joshua, after tagging him a traitor.
Both were on course for a domestic super fight in December 2022 after Fury’s offering of a shock world title lifeline, but the blockbuster showdown failed to happen.
Boxing fans are still hoping the grudge match will happen one day, but Fury has well and truly moved on from the bout, and is preparing for a historic undisputed heavyweight showdown with unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.
