Joshua Vs Franklin: All you need to know about AJ’s comeback win in London

The Joshua vs Franklin fight is one of the biggest news at the moment. On Saturday night, the boxing world witnessed the much-awaited comeback of former heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua. The British-Nigerian boxer took on American Jermaine Franklin in a highly anticipated bout at the O2 Arena in London, England. In the end, it was Joshua who emerged victorious, winning the fight by unanimous decision.

The buildup to the Joshua vs Franklin fight had been intense, with both fighters exchanging words in the press conferences leading up to the fight. Franklin had been confident in his chances of defeating Joshua, who had not fought since losing his titles to Oleksandr Usyk in a shocking upset in September 2021. However, Joshua had been training hard and was determined to prove his doubters wrong.

From the start of the fight, it was clear that Joshua was the more aggressive fighter. He came out strong, throwing heavy punches and pressuring Franklin against the ropes. Franklin tried to counter with jabs and hooks, but Joshua’s defence was solid, and he was able to dodge most of his opponent’s attacks.

The middle rounds of the Joshua vs Franklin fight saw both fighters trading blows, with neither able to land a knockout punch. Joshua continued to push forward, looking to end the fight early, but Franklin’s defence held up, and he could stay in the contest.

Jerrymusa.com reports that after 12 rounds, Anthony Joshua was announced winner following a 118-111, 117-111, and 117-111 decision in favour of Joshua. However, there were a few things which were observed in the course of the bout.

Joshua vs Franklin: Expert Opinion by Dièkó Òbì

Following Joshua’s defeat of Franklin, Boxing analyst, Dièkó Òbì drew up his conclusions about the encounter which signalled AJ’s return to the sport:

1. Anthony Joshua didn’t impose himself in this fight, he allowed Franklin to control the centre of the ring on several occasions. If he does that against Fury, Dubois, Joe Joyce, Ruiz and the like, he would get seriously beaten.

2. The Joshua vs Franklin fight showed us an AJ who seemed very unsure of what he was doing. His defence seemed very poor and he looked too slow. If he faces fast hands like Ruiz, or southpaws like Otto Wallin, he’ll suffer serious punches that would wobble him.

3. His body language in this fight was way too negative. I didn’t see AJ’s combinations, I didn’t see his left hooks, his uppercuts and his trademark moves. He did all of those against Usyk in the rematch, so what happened in this fight? Did he struggle with confidence?

4. AJ appeared to need a great trainer. The likes of Ronnie Shields, Freddie Roach or Teddy Atlas would do a great job. With the way he fought against Franklyn, it did not look like Derrick James is the best coach for him. He apparently did way better with Robert Garcia in the corner. AJ wasn’t as mobile and athletic as he used to be, in this fight. It looked like Franklin gave him too much respect which enabled Joshua to coast home with the victory.

Conclusion

The Joshua vs Franklin fight has come and gone. It has shown us an AJ who could now fight on the inside, compared to his last infamous defeat. I also saw some flashes of good body balance. He’s only had one fight camp with Derrick James, so let’s see how it will go when he fine-tunes with more training with his new trainer.

Once again, congratulations to AJ, but he needs to do more if he wants to find his way up and begin to contend for belts again.