On Saturday at the O2 Arena in Greenwich, London, UK, former world heavyweight champion Anthony “AJ” Joshua (25-3, 22 KOs) was fighting against Jermaine “989 Assassin” Franklin (21-2, 14 KOs) in a 12-round contest.
The fight began with Franklin drawing blood from Joshua's nose in the first round, but Joshua quickly retaliated with a solid right on Franklin's chin at the bell. Throughout the bout, both fighters exchanged powerful punches, with Joshua's jab being the key difference. Despite several warnings for clinching, Franklin managed to land the fight's best punch in the ninth round – an overhand right on Joshua’s chin. As the fight progressed, Joshua continued to dominate, landing a hard right on Franklin’s chin in the eleventh round and an uppercut in the final round.
The twelfth round ended in a heated exchange, with Joshua hitting Franklin in the back of the head as security rushed to intervene. Despite the tension, Joshua emerged victorious, and Eddie Hearn is now eager to arrange a bout between Joshua and Fury following this triumph over Franklin.
Official fight highlights:
In the undercard, 2021 Olympic Gold Medalist Flyweight southpaw Galal Yafai (4-0, 3 KOs) defeated Moises “Taz” Calleros (36-11-1, 19 KOs) with a fourth-round stoppage, while WBA Int'l Middle champion Austin “Ammo” Williams (14-0, 10 KOs) halted River Wilson-Bent’s (14-3-1, 6 KOs) progress in the eighth round. Additionally, Fabio Wardley (16-0, 15 KOs) earned the vacant WBA Continental Heavy title by stopping Michael Polite Coffie (13-4, 10 KOs) in the fourth round, and Light Campbell “The Hurricane” Hatton (11-0, 4 KOs) scored a first-round knockout against Louis “Flash” Fielding (10-8, 1 KO).
Image Credit: Sky Sports