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Tempers Boil Over After Anthony Joshua Beats Jermaine Franklin By Decision

Written by Kerr Ferguson on 1st April 2023.

Anthony Joshua and Jermaine Franklin

An apprehensive Anthony Joshua returned to winning ways with a unanimous decision victory over Jermaine Franklin in London.

Two losses to Oleksandr Usyk put Joshua out of the heavyweight title picture for the first time in seven years. It’s something he’s keen on taking advantage of – no sanctioning body politics or mandatory stresses, just good old fashioned fighting.

The first rung on his comeback ladder was a potentially greased one. Despite being a 6/1 underdog, Franklin has never been stopped and showed fast hands in his sole loss to Dillian Whyte – one which he disputes.

That outing was across town at Wembley Arena in November. Defeat hasn’t stunted his opportunities in the division, clearly. He was in better shape this time around, too – 20lb better. Joshua came in at a career heaviest weight, perhaps making his intentions clear and eager to impress new coach, Derrick James.

On the first bell, the pair sent out range finders, the size difference stark. A left hook from ‘AJ’ swiped the face of Franklin before the American found some success to the body. Joshua’s jab was stiff and landing.

He came out in the second a little lighter on his feet, and landed a good right hand. Franklin invited more. Whilst his patience was clear, the hometown hero landed significantly on a couple more occasions. The American shot back a quick combination.

More exchanging in the third , but still tentative – or measured, depending on how you look at it – from ‘AJ.’ Twenty seconds passed without anything thrown before Franklin broke the tension by rushing in.

Franklin came in with three jabs in quick succession to start the fourth. It was a confident round for the American, but Joshua’s jab was heavier and still scoring. The Brit was the one bleeding though. ‘AJ’ landed a nice-looking uppercut to end the round.

The fifth saw Franklin return the favour with an uppercut of his own. He was dangerous on the inside, and very quick to fire back when Joshua decided to throw.

Going into the sixth and the killer instinct fans were calling for hadn’t made an appearance, but Franklin was, once again, proving more of a handful than he was given credit for. ‘AJ’ landed another head-snapping uppercut. Franklin didn’t slow.

Joshua dipped and dug the body in the seventh, but Franklin was on the move and rode it well. Neither man seemed to be slowing at this stage. They got into an ugly clinch, and Franklin showed a good chin after a good round. He was trying to frustrate the former champion.

There was some great striking and moving from ‘AJ’ to start the eighth, and Franklin keen to hold more in that round. In fact, that’s all he really did. It looked like Joshua’s work was starting to take its toll.

Joshua landed two short uppercuts in the ninth, hoping to deter his opponent from coming in too close. It didn’t. Franklin was grabbing on at any opportunity, making it messy and teasing a clash of heads. He landed a good right hand in the final minute, though, reminding ‘AJ’ he couldn’t afford to cruise.

The crowd got involved in the tenth when Joshua found a home for an uppercut and a right hook, and he built on the momentum until Franklin had a big right hand. The pair entered the most entertaining exchange of the fight. Franklin’s instinct to attack when hit was keeping him in it. If Joshua was to get the stoppage, it looked like it would come from the uppercut.

A great body shot in the eleventh saw Franklin threaten to double over but he stayed on his feet. He landed his own right hand to the side of ‘AJ’s head and had more success, but certainly needed a knockout to win at this point. Joshua threw a left as the referee was talking to the pair. Bad practice.

Not many expected this fight to see the twelfth, but it did. Franklin came out quickly, but Joshua’s 255lb frame didn’t seem to have gassed as many expected it too. The American shrugged off a clinch and the pair exchanged tense words. They clinched again but Joshua kept him close, digging into the body. He followed it up with a big right hand and suddenly the American wanted to hold on again. Franklin went for broke at the end but hit thin air with most.

There were brief ugly scenes after the final bell. The two fighters continued to hold on and exchange words, and a member of Franklin’s team pushed ‘AJ.’ Tony Bellew got involved from ringside. It’s the second time in two fights that people will be discussing the aftermath of a Joshua fight. It was squashed quickly after.

118-111, 117-111, 117-111 Anthony Joshua. It wasn’t the standout performance fans wanted, and he seemed deflated in his words following. He said nobody would remember the fight in 15 years. In a way, he couldn’t win tonight. His jab looks strong and imposing under James, but his star power may not afford him the opportunity to build on that before entering a mega fight.

Joshua’s last performance here was back in 2016 – a seventh round TKO of Dominic Breazeale. Two fights later, he stopped Wladimir Klitschko in a career-defining performance. Where he’ll be two fights from now remains to be seen.

Elsewhere on the Matchroom and DAZN card…

Fabio Wardley vs Michael Coffie – Heavyweight

British Champion, Fabio Wardley, made his sixth ring walk in London’s O2 Arena in just 16 fights. In the opposite corner was Michael Coffie, an American heavyweight with all three of his losses coming in the last two years.

Coffie came out in the southpaw stance but changed to orthodox when Wardley landed a solid right hand. Wardley showed more patience than he has in his previous contests, which will do him well as his competition improves. He used the jab cleverly, and didn’t let the American frustrate him.

Coffie had a busy start to the third round and forced Wardley into the corner, but the Englishman wasn’t drawn into a brawl. He got back behind his jab to see out the rest of the three minutes, but it looked like he felt a body shot.

In the fourth, Wardley swarmed Coffie and landed a number of unanswered shots. Referee Howard Foster stepped in, but the American wasn’t hurt or happy.

For the second time in a row, Wardley finishes a fight after his opponent makes him taste blood. 16-0 with 15 stoppages – at least one early. Wardley was shaping up to learn some more and finish in style, but he wasn’t given the chance.

Galal Yafai (W) vs Moises Calleros – Flyweight

Galal Yafai moved to 4-0 in the flyweight ranks with the quickest win of his professional career. After settling in well in the third, he landed a pinpoint right hook on Moises Calleros in the fourth that sparked a flurry to drop the Mexican.

Calleros made the count, but a wobble in his feet led to the referee waving it off.

Campbell Hatton (W) vs Louis Fielding – Super Lightweight

It took Campbell Hatton just a minute and a half to end his first eight-round contest. It was another ‘Hitman’ esque finish for the younger Hatton, who threw a well-timed left to the body of Louis Fielding who was too hurt to continue.

Austin Williams (W) vs River Wilson-Bent – Middleweight

Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams forced River Wilson-Bent’s corner to throw the towel in during the eighth round.

The man from Coventry frustrated Williams throughout, managing the distance well and finding success even despite a nasty cut in the fourth from a clash of heads.

The American southpaw turned the tide in the seventh, though, with a big left hand that dropped Wilson-Bent.

He moves to 14-0 with 10 stoppages.