Anthony Joshua will make his boxing return to action on April 1 against Jermaine Franklin. He’s coming into the fight low on confidence after losing his titles to Oleksandr Usyk in front of a home crowd, before failing to extract revenge in the rematch.
His next opponent is Jermaine Franklin this coming weekend, where many expect the former champion to get back to winning ways with ease, although nothing is guaranteed in the sport, as he found out against Andy Ruiz Jr.
Attentions are already turning to his fight after the Franklin bout, with his team appearing keen to try and finally get a fight with Tyson Fury announced after failing to do so in the past.
Anthony Joshua names his top three heavyweights
Despite losing three of his last five fights, AJ still puts himself in the top three heavyweights in the world with the two current champions, meaning he has snubbed Deontay Wilder.
When asked for his three, he claimed: “Usyk, Fury and myself. Minus me, Usyk, Fury and (Deontay) Wilder because he is a former champion. I rate the rankings. I have been in top 10 for the last how many years? About eight years I have been in the top 10 so I rate them.
“As long as I am in the top 10 I am happy, but to be there consistently is not easy. It is all about who you fight as well. Rankings are important but you need to fight the big names as well.”
Taking this into consideration, it’s no surprise that the former heavyweight champion wants to take a pop at Fury, it’s a huge fight, the Battle of Britain, and likely to be a title fight as well.
Anthony Joshua on Tyson Fury
He opened up talking about Fury by claiming: “He’s a people’s champion, he’s a people’s champion, Remember I put a lot of effort into pushing the heavyweight division into a healthy place early on in my career. I understood the concept of marketing and PR and it shows in the figures right?
“It shows in the figures with brand partnerships and stuff. It didn’t happen easily but yeah, he’s a people’s champion, I’m a people’s champion. There is no competition in that sense. The only competition I need to have with him is in the ring.
“If he is doing 70-30 for an undisputed cruiserweight fighter and heavyweight champion unified, what is he going to try and offer me? It is just a nightmare but look, I have a great team in my corner. I have a great promotional company, great management company that help me. I don’t make all the decisions myself. I am in the gym.
“When that fight – God willing – happens, they will back my corner and they know what I bring to the table. They will negotiate fiercely to make sure I get a lion’s share as well as what’s on the table. I will leave it to them to do their best to represent me in the right fashion.”