Anthony Joshua will make his highly-anticipated return to the ring in April after suffering his second-successive defeat to Oleksandr Usyk in August 2022 – having previously lost his WBA, WBO and IBF belts to the Ukrainian in September 2021.
Joshua is in desperate need of a win – with his last victory taking place over two years ago when he faced Kubrat Pulev in December 2020. So, the question at the forefront of everyone’s mind is who will AJ face next?
Sportsmail exclusively revealed that AJ had agreed terms to fight American heavyweight Jermaine Franklin on April 1 at the O2 Arena. However, boxing fans up and down the nation have been scratching their heads as to why he chose Franklin.
Franklin remains relatively unknown in the heavyweight division despite going toe-to-toe with Dillian Whyte in November 2022. The American boxer stepped into the ring with a professional record of 21 wins, 0 loses and 0 draws.
He had also knocked out 14 of his 21 opponents. However, it was Whyte who emerged victorious from their bout – winning via a majority decision after their 12-round contest at Wembley Arena.
So, with that in mind, Sportsmail sat down with Franklin to discuss how he got into boxing, his passion for the sport, the hardships he has had to overcome to make it to this point in his career.
Anthony Joshua will return to the ring on April 1 to face Jermaine Franklin (pictured above)
Franklin didn’t stumble upon boxing by chance. He was introduced to the sport to prevent him from getting into trouble as a youngster. He, like many others, used boxing as an escape from the temptations and dangers that are synonymous with teenage years.
The American heavyweight is adamant he wasn’t a ‘bad kid’ but said boxing was the driving force behind the positive changes he made to his life. He credited the sport with teaching him respect and patience.
Speaking exclusively to Sportsmail, Franklin said: ‘I started the sport when I was around 12-13. I was getting in a little bit of trouble. I wasn’t a bad kid but I was getting in a little bit of trouble.
Franklin went toe-to-toe with Dillian Whyte in November 2022 but lost via decision
Franklin (left) trained alongside Tyson Fury (middle) ahead of his fight with Whyte last year
‘I got taken up to the boxing gym and it started from there. I had a love/hate relationship with the sport. I was a big kid and I didn’t get a lot of fights as an amateur. I was thinking what am I doing this for. All I was doing was working out and never fighting.
‘So, yeah I had a love/hate relationship for a while. I probably fell in love with the sport before I went to nationals. My first nationals was when I was 17-18. That was when I really found my true love for the sport.’
It’s safe to say that boxing teaches young men how to be disciplined, dedicated and respectful. However, Franklin is adamant the main thing boxing has taught him is patience.
Franklin was introduced to the sport to prevent him from getting into trouble as a youngster
He said: ‘I was very impatient. Younger me was very impatient. It [boxing] forced you to be patient. You didn’t have a choice. We would go to the shows and we would try and match up fights before them but people wouldn’t come. For a while I didn’t appreciate it. It was like, all this work for no reward.’
However, Franklin continued to pursue a boxing career and made his professional debut in April 2015. He fought against Deshawn Jenkins in Green Bay, Wisconsin at the Riverside Ballroom.
Franklin dropped Jenkins twice. The first knockdown came from an impressive left hook while the second knockdown came from a left-right combination in which Jenkins was counted out.
Franklin has continued to thrive in the heavyweight division. His record currently stands at 21 wins, 1 loss and 0 draws. Plus, he has won 14 of those fights via knockout.
The American heavyweight has a professional record of 21-1 and has a reach of 77.2 inches
Franklin picked up a ten round decision win over Pavel Sour in October 2019 before taking over two years out of the ring. He then competed in a tune-up fight before facing Whyte.
Franklin also joined Tyson Fury’s camp to prepare for his clash with Whyte. However, the 29-year-old admitted he was struggling to get to the gym and work on his technique prior to the Whyte fight because of personal issues.
Franklin revealed he had to file for bankruptcy, take up a full-time job and look after his two daughters during his hiatus from boxing. When asked how he ended up in that position, Franklin said it was due to his former management team.
He told Sportsmail: ‘I was having issues. I had to support my family and I wasn’t really making money from boxing. I had to work to be able to support my family and then I had problems with my old manager.
Franklin is adamant the main thing boxing has taught him is patience and respect in life
‘I had to file bankruptcy to get my assets back in order. My old manager got me in trouble with all kinds of stuff. He really didn’t have my best interests at heart. There was a lot going on during those two years of me being out of the ring.
‘I was trying to but my work schedule was hard. It was really hard to fit it in. I had to get up and take my girls to school. It would be hard to go train, pick my girls up and then go right back to work after. I tried to. Every now and then I would pop up in the gym but it was really hard to do is consistently as my body was tired.’
Many people associate boxing with glitz and glamour – which comes as no surprise considering the likes of Floyd Mayweather has been seen posing alongside piles of cash on his Instagram and Andy Ruiz Jr was pictured throwing an extravagant 30th birthday party with naked sushi girls last year.
But, the truth is, it’s not all fun and games for the majority of boxers. A lot of the athletes that get involved in the sport have had a hard life. They have struggled to make ends meet and have worked their way up the ranks before getting their big break.
Franklin felt his November clash with Whyte could be his big clash. He said the heavyweight showdown would be ‘life changing’ and that it would finally prove why he should be ‘up there with the top boxers in the division’.
Speaking ahead of the fight, he said: ‘It’s most definitely life changing. It’s a life changing experience and it’s a great opportunity. Hopefully it puts me up there with the top boxers. I already feel like I am up there but I have to show the world that I am up there.’
Franklin (right) says he should be at the forefront of the heavyweight boxing scene
Unfortunately for Franklin, he lost the fight. Michael Alexander scored their bout level at 115-115 while Juergen Landos and Grzegorz Molenda scored the fight 116-112 in favour of Whyte.
Although Franklin may not have beaten Whyte, he may have been right about the fight changing the trajectory of his career as he has managed to line up a fight with Great Britain’s golden boy, Joshua.
Franklin’s personal experience – overcoming bankruptcy and breaking free from a toxic partnership with his former manager – has motivated him to help the next generation of boxers.
Normally when you ask a boxer to share their goals and ambitions for the future, they speak about records, belts and money. But, not Franklin. Of course he wants to thrive in the heavyweight division but he is committed to changing the sport for the better.
He said: ‘I want to keep fighting the best. I want to start my own company and help other boxers. So, they can avoid the dirty side of boxing.
‘A lot of fighters don’t have any protection. I was in a slave contract with my old manager. I had to do what he said or I get nothing at all.
‘Anything I pitched about my career went in one ear and out the other. It was always, do what they said or nothing happens.
‘We have no control. We have no say so in our own careers. A lot of time people don’t understand paperwork.
‘As you know, a lot of boxers weren’t well off in the sport. Not everyone was poor or have come from a hard background but a lot of us had never seen contracts before.
Franklin said he had to take some time away from the ring because of personal issues
‘At first, they offer you a little bit of money and you think everything is going to be good but then get to a s**t-show and it’s a whole different story.
‘I just want to help boxers to be able to have a say in their own careers. To be able to live comfortably. Not to be forced to do certain things.
‘I still want fighters to fight the best but I don’t want them to feel like they have been put in a situation where they have no say so.’
Franklin’s desire to leave the sport in a better place than he found it comes as no surprise. After just second of speaking with the 29-year-old it was clear to see he was a genuinely good person.
His demeanour was self-effacing, gracious, and polite. He would cringe at the thought of ‘bigging himself up’ and spoke highly about other boxers instead of blowing his own trumpet.
Franklin said he loved Lennox Lewis and that he learnt a lot of his skill from the ‘old fighters’
In fact, he couldn’t help but heap praise on his heavyweight counterparts. He also referenced several former fighters that have inspired him to become the boxer his is today.
Franklin credited Joshua with being ‘great’ but said the 33-year-old has to be in the ‘right mindset to perform well’.
He said: ‘Most of my favourite fighters are old fighters. Most of the people I got a lot of my technique from are old fighters. I like Holyfield, Tyson and even your guy’s Lennox Lewis. I love Lewis. Lewis was a fantastic boxer.
‘As far as the current guys go, I look at Tyson at lot. I like the way Andy Ruiz Jr fights, even though he gets a little bit of flack but I love the way Andy fights. I love when AJ is in the right mindset. He fights great too.
‘I studied a lot of those guys to see the stuff they did that is good. I look at what they do to see if that’s something I could do and whether I would be able to stop them.’
Franklin has said he is a fan of both Andy Ruiz Jr (left) and Joshua (right) but said AJ must be in the ‘right mindset’ to perform well
Franklin also held two other people in very high regard during our interview and they were his daughters. When asked whether his little girls thought he was the ‘coolest dad in the world’ for headlining a fight in the UK, Franklin couldn’t help but laugh.
He said: ‘They are pretty excited. They are kind of mad they can’t be there. They are pretty excited about watching me fight.
‘They have been in the gym since they were young. I have been trying to get them into it but honestly they have just been in the gym playing around and stuff like that.
‘Every now and then they might grab some gloves and hit the bag or something like that. They’ve got time.’
