Things turned ugly briefly at the end of Anthony Joshua’s unanimous decision victory over Jermaine Franklin.
The Brit controlled the fight and comprehensively outscored his American opponent, although he didn’t succeed in getting the stoppage so many fans and pundits felt he needed.
Credit should be given to Franklin, who showed a good chin and an unwavering will to make it to the end.
As the final bell went, Joshua tapped Franklin on the back of his head with his glove and the pair re-entered a tight clinch, quite bizarrely initiated by the Brit. He walked Franklin down to his side of the ring.
Both teams entered to either get involved or calm things down.
Drama at the final bell! #JoshuaFranklinpic.twitter.com/vegJjiQiyY
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) April 1, 2023
Joshua explained what happened to Boxing Social in simple terms.
“Me and him we’ve just got our own little back and forth. We were talking throughout the fight – it carried on after.”
At the post fight press conference, he elaborated.
“It’s just a fight. You’re fighting someone who wants to win. Round-by-round we’re talking to each other. I’m pushing his head and s**t like that. There’s a lot of ego, pride, that happens in that ring. And that’s all it is really.
But at the same time, it’s a fight … it’s a different kind of energy. That you or someone else may not understand.”
The former champion said Franklin did not get under his skin.
Those scenes after the bell saw a member of Franklin’s team push ‘AJ’ and then Tony Bellew get involved from ringside with the Americans.
It’s the second ‘AJ’ fight in a row that there’s attention on the aftermath, with his emotional outburst from the second Oleksandr Usyk defeat still fresh on the mind.
With the all-important win under his belt – his first since Kubrat Pulev in 2020 – Joshua moves on to bigger things under the tutelage of new trainer, Derrick James.