Anthony Joshua has agreed to face American heavyweight Jermaine Franklin at the O2 Arena on April 1, according to the Daily Mail.

Joshua has not appeared in the ring since August 2022, where he lost his second consecutive fight against Oleksander Usyk.

His first fight against the Ukrainian in September 2021 resulted in him being stripped of his WBA, WBO and IBF belts and he was unable to win them back the following year, losing both fights on the judges' scorecards.

It is a must-win fight for the Englishman as he looks to rebuild his reputation as one of the best boxers in the world.

Anthony Joshua's next fight?

Reports say that Franklin and Joshua have agreed financial terms for the fight and are set to sign the final bits of paperwork on Monday afternoon.

Joshua was set to face Tyson Fury in December, but negotiations between the two parties collapsed, with Fury's team announcing their frustration at how long Joshua's camp were taking to sign the contract.

Joshua was disappointed that the fight fell through as he thought they had made excellent progress towards a deal.

The fight was scheduled to take place at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff and TV rights were agreed too, however, it just wasn't destiny for the pair.

More recently, Joshua was linked with a fight against unbeaten Australian fighter Demsey McKean, with McKean calling for a fight against the Englishman after he won the IBF intercontinental heavyweight belt in October 2022.

His new opponent Franklin trained with Tyson Fury during the build up to his fight with Dillian Whyte, but unfortunately for the American, he was defeated by Whyte after 12 rounds.

LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 24: Dillian Whyte, promoter Eddie Hearn and Jermaine Franklin pose for a photograph during a Dillian Whyte v Jermaine Franklin Press Conference at Royal Institute of British Architects on November 24, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

The American is eager to prove himself against Joshua, with promoter Dimitry Salita believing he can pull off a great upset.

Salita previously said: "Joshua is coming off two losses, changing trainers, is vulnerable.

"Jermaine realises it, he's ready to go out there and score the upset, some feel like it could be an upset, and others don't.

"After he wants a rematch with Whyte, and then he wants the to fight the winner of Fury vs Usyk."

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