Tyson Fury has weighed in on Jermaine Franklin’s credentials as a comeback opponent for Anthony Joshua – and was full of praise for the American.
Although there has been no official announcement at the time of writing, Franklin is believed to have been selected for an April 1 clash with Joshua, pipping the likes of Demsey McKean and Otto Wallin to the big money fight.
And Fury told SecondsOut he had been impressed by the ‘989 Assassin’, both with his performance against Dillian Whyte last November and in his brief stint training in the Fury gym.
“I like Jermaine Franklin. He did really well in his last fight, I was very impressed and he even trained at my gym for four or five weeks down in Morecambe.”
“I think he’s a real contender. He’s an old school, throwback heavyweight.”
As for ‘AJ’, he has been out of action since a second defeat to Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia last August, and speculation has been rife as to who the former unified world champion will face next.
He had been on the hunt for a new trainer up until recently, having split with Robert Garcia after just one fight. However, promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed earlier this month that Joshua had linked up with a new coach and started camp in America.
Although there has not yet been confirmation of the identity of the mystery trainer, it is widely believed to be the highly rated Derrick James, coach of Errol Spence Jr and Jermell Charlo.