Anthony Joshua won his 1st fight in over 2 years against Jermaine Franklin at O2 Arena in London on Saturday night.
The 3 judges gave the victory for the former heavyweight champion from the UK – 118-111, 117-111, and 117-111.
12 rounds wasn’t enough for the two heavyweights today 👀#JoshuaFranklin | @autozone pic.twitter.com/ezGFyHMpEy
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) April 1, 2023
Joshua won for the 25th time in his boxing career, as he lost his previous 2 fights with Oleksandr Usyk, and this was his 1st victory since December 2020 when he topped Kubrat Pulev.
That was the first fight for Anthony that was not for a title since 2016, as after that, the British boxer fought 13 times for the world title.
Joshua was a big favorite and even said before the fight that he would retire if he lost to his American opponent.
🤔 “Who do I want next?”
🔥 “It would be an honour to get @Tyson_Fury or @BronzeBomber.”
Anthony Joshua reveals who he wants to fight next after beating Jermaine Franklin pic.twitter.com/E0tayxqa8Y
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) April 1, 2023
“I would have liked a knockout, but it’s important to get the win,” Joshua told DAZN in the ring after the fight.
“I know who the fans want. Who do the fans want?” Joshua asked in his ring interview, to which the crowd responded was a near-unanimous shout of “Fury!”