Joshua beats Franklin: At the O2 Arena in London on Saturday night, Anthony Joshua defeated Jermaine Franklin by unanimous decision. This victory was crucial for the former champion’s future development.
The former champion Joshua had to defeat the strong American and took a clear unanimous decision, scoring 118-111 and 117-111 twice. This was Joshua’s second fight after suffering a heartbreaking loss to Oleksandr Usyk last year.
Although though this was Joshua’s first match without at least one world title on the line in seven years, it was still one of the most significant matches of his career. A talent of Joshua’s calibre would have seen his future prospects destroyed by a third straight defeat.
Due to the stakes involved in this battle, he declared he would retire during the build-up to it. Yet, the victory catapults him back to his more usual position at the top of the heavyweight class.
Perhaps a sign of that pressure was the glum look on Joshua’s face before he entered the ring. He barely acknowledged the raucous applause that erupted for him as he waited for the first bell from his corner.
When boxing in the UK recently, Joshua has a tendency to pack entire stadiums. Joshua is still a tremendously popular figure on the British boxing scene, despite the fact that this event was held in a smaller arena, as evidenced by the enthusiastic greeting he received from the fans.
So he had to maintain his attention rather than savour the occasion. Derrick James, a new trainer, was by his side. This was Joshua’s third straight fight with a brand-new squad at his side.
Joshua claimed that he has now discovered the answers to all the questions he had been asking of himself before the bout this week. Others won’t be as convinced after his performance on Saturday though.
Joshua didn’t move quickly at first. In the first two rounds, he maintained his form, content to box behind quick jabs and outpunch Franklin. Smartly, he also moved away from Franklin’s darting strokes in the opening round.
After the bell, the two conversed, making their animosity towards one another immediately apparent.
In the second round, Joshua stunned Franklin with a quick double left, but it was Franklin who pulled blood from Joshua’s nose and then hit him hard with a cross to the jaw, forcing Joshua to hold.
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