Bob Arum has told Anthony Joshua what he must do against Jermaine Franklin this weekend in order to secure a monster fight against WBC world heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury.
Many in the sport feel this Saturday night is make or break for Joshua, with some pundits even of the opinion that he should retire if he cannot get past Franklin at the 02 Arena.
Speaking to FightHype, hall of fame promoter Arum implored Joshua to win in style if he wants to build excitement for a potential showdown with Fury next.
“He needs to look good, and he has to convince the English fans that he’s in there with a chance against Tyson Fury.”
“If he does that, which I think he’s capable of doing, then that will be a massive fight for the late spring or early summer in London.”
Although ‘AJ’ goes into the fight a heavy favourite, Franklin proved he is a competent fighter when he faced Dillian Whyte last November and, after shedding nearly 2 stone in weight from that night, will have plenty of confidence he can spoil Joshua’s homecoming.
It will be the first opportunity for fans to see any improvements Joshua has made under new trainer Derrick James, with whom he has spent the last ten weeks working with in Dallas, Texas.
Ticket sales for this weekend’s show have been amongst the slowest of Joshua’s career to date, so those backing him will hope he is able to deliver the sort of performance Arum described, accompanied with a highlight reel knockout that gets the boxing public excited about the career of Anthony Joshua once again.