Anthony Joshua returned to winning ways with a unanimous points-decision victory over Jermaine Franklin in their heavyweight boxing bout at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday.
After 12 rounds, Joshua was given the win by 118-111, 117-111, 117-111 on the scorecards of the three judges.
There were ugly scenes at the end of the bout as the corners and fighters clashed momentarily and security stepped in to calm the situation.
This was the 33-year-old former world heavyweight champion Joshua’s first victory since 2020 after successive defeats by Oleksandr Usyk saw the former Olympic champion lose, and then fail to regain his global titles.
Usyk defeated Joshua on September 25, 2021. The British boxer suffered in the hands of his Ukrainian counterpart for the second time on August 21, 2022.
Joshua’s last win came on December 13, 2020 against Bulgaria’s Kubrat Pulev.
The latest bout which was characterised by the usual jabs throwing and punches eventually saw Joshua denied Franklin his 25th career win.
Joshua’s victory appeared to be the beginning of his quest to become a three-time world heavyweight champion.
He also extended his professional record to 25-3.
Joshua seemed to have his mind set for a blockbuster showdown with Tyson Fury after his win over Franklin.
“I try and provide for the fans. I know who they want. They said Tyson Fury; the ball is in his court.
“I would be honoured to fight for the WBC Heavyweight Championship of the World.
“If he’s listening, he knows my promoter; we’ve had dialogue before, so let’s continue this. We ain’t getting any younger.”
For his part, Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, said: “We want the Fury fight. We believe it can be made. The nature of the victory was always going to be important, but he has the right to call out Fury or Deontay Wilder.”
