Anthony Joshua’s mindset has been a hot talking point over the past year, and is viewed as pivotal going in to his crunch rematch with old foe Dillian Whyte on August 12.
Many believe Joshua has not been the same fighter since suffering a shock KO defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr back in 2019, and his most recent outing against Jermaine Franklin earlier this year did little to dispel that view.
However, Franklin’s promoter Dmitriy Salita told SecondsOut he feels he has noticed a change in ‘AJ’s demeanour – particularly between the Franklin press conference and the Whyte one – and is expecting him to defeat ‘The Bodysnatcher’ at the O2 Arena.
“I really see a lot of confidence in the way he [Joshua] walks, in his body language is different. He’s got his groove back, he’s got his swagger back.”
“I believe Anthony, with his confidence, is a very dangerous fighter. I would have to pick him as a favourite against Dillian Whyte.”
“I believe that Derrick James, and being around those other great fighters that are getting ready for big fights, being in that environment is going to rub off positively on Anthony Joshua.”
Franklin went a cumulative 24 rounds with Joshua and Whyte in the space of six months, and has likely relayed plenty of information to Salita that has also swayed his prediction.
Joshua and Whyte have crossed paths in both the amateur and professional ranks before, the latter being a memorable British title fight back in 2015 that ended via a seventh round stoppage win for Joshua.
The stakes feel much higher this time around, with many of the opinion that both men’s careers are on the line.