By Akinwale Kasali
The dwindling career of British-born Nigerian pugilist, Anthony Joshua got a huge boost when he defeated American boxer, Jermaine Franklin to get back into the Heavyweight Champion reckoning.
The two-time Heavyweight Champion registered the victory at the O2 Arena, the same venue where he made his professional debut 10 years ago. The Briton secured the victory he needed to revive his world title prospects, controlling the contest over 12 rounds to seal a unanimous decision win.
A relatively clean fight turned sour after the final bell when security men were forced to step in because both teams involved in a brief melee inside the ring and at ringside.
Coming off the back of two successive defeats to Oleksandr Usyk, a defeat in London on Saturday night would have been unthinkable.
Fighting in his first non-title contest since 2015, the 33-year-old has faced questions over whether his star power is on the wane with promoter Eddie Hearn describing the fight as a ‘final roll of the dice’ for the two-time world champion.
While there are greater tests ahead, victory back in the capital sets him back on course for some huge fights this summer.
Franklin, 29, was making his second appearance at the O2 in six months, having travelled to the capital to take on Dillian Whyte last November. While he suffered the first defeat of his career that night, he gave the British heavyweight problems and considered himself extremely unlucky to have lost on the Judges’ scorecards.
Joshua, who weighed in at his career-heaviest on Friday, was given a similar examination by the skilled American before finally breaking his resistance.
During fight week, Hearn teased the possibility of Joshua vs Tyson Fury once again, insisting the fight that collapsed for a second time in three years last October can be revived this summer.
A rematch against Whyte remains another compelling option, as does a long-awaited meeting with Deontay Wilder in a fight, even without world titles on the line, would promise to be one of the biggest in recent heavyweight history.
