Joshua won this non-title fight after 12 rounds in front of a home audience at the 02 Arena, with scores of 118-111, 117-111, and 117-111 from the three judges.
Anthony Joshua of the United Kingdom claimed that he should have knocked out Jermaine Franklin after the former heavyweight champion won a unanimous, if laborious, points-decision contest in London on Saturday.
Joshua won this non-title fight after 12 rounds in front of a home audience at the 02 Arena, with scores of 118-111, 117-111, and 117-111 from the three judges.
After consecutive losses to Oleksandr Usyk caused the former Olympic champion to lose, and then fail to reclaim his global championships, this was the 33-year-old Joshua’s first victory since 2020.
Joshua told DAZN after the fight that a loss would have meant the end of his professional career, “It was vital to win.
“Jermaine has a good duck and dive style; another Briton will probably beat him; respect to him, he performed well.
“I ought to have knocked him out, but it’s too late now. The next is now. Instead of giving in, he is here to prove himself. I wish I had been able to knock him out.
The judges’ decision meant that 29-year-old Franklin, who had previously lost to British fighter Dillian Whyte at Wembley in November, had now lost twice in his 23-fight career.
Franklin was hit multiple times with strong rights by Joshua, who had lost three of his previous five fights, but the American refused to back down and the fight lasted the distance.
The 12th and final round, in which Joshua pushed Franklin in the head, seemed to conclude eight seconds earlier than it actually did.
Franklin’s strength and conditioning coach Lorenzo Adams reacted angrily to the incident by pushing the London fighter.
After the final bell, there was a brief altercation between the fighters and their corners until security intervened to diffuse the situation.
Yet soon after, Joshua raised his hand in triumph, marking his 25th win in 28 career bouts, keeping alive the possibility of a “Battle of Britain” matchup with WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.
I strive to accommodate the supporters, stated Joshua. I know what they’re after.
“They cited Tyson Fury; the initiative is now in his hands. It would be an honour for me to compete for the WBC heavyweight title.
“Let’s continue this, if he’s listening, since he knows my promoter and we’ve already spoken. We are not growing younger.
The unbeaten Fury’s most recent encounter was a victory over Dereck Chisora in a trilogy fight in London in December.
“He (Joshua) ended the fight brilliantly, but like he said, they aren’t getting any younger,” said Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter.
“We would be open to discussions about jumping right into a Tyson Fury fight in the summer.”
AFP
