BREAKING Anthony Joshua confirms Jermaine Franklin fight and makes admission to new coach

Anthony Joshua’s return to the ring against Jermaine Franklin has been confirmed.

The Brit has not fought since suffering back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk, with his career hanging in the balance as a result. He will now take on Franklin on April 1, with the American having lost in his last fight against Joshua’s long-term rival Dillian Whyte in 2022.

On the fight, Joshua insisted: “I’m looking forward to stepping back into the ring on April 1 at The O2 in London. Mentally and physically I feel ready. I want to put on a show and impress my coach as he has high standards. Franklin has a good style and a great attitude, which he has shown in recent fights.”

READ MORE: Ex-Miss Swimsuit Avril Mathie looks like she’s had ‘free lip filler’ after boxing beating

Do you think Anthony Joshua will get back to winning ways against Jermaine Franklin? Let us know in the comments section.

While his comeback bout will take place in the United Kingdom, Joshua has confirmed his upcoming camp will take place in the United States. After several coaching switches in recent years, he’s changed gear once more after announcing Derrick James as his new trainer in January.

The Olympian left long-term coach Rob McCracken after suffering his first defeat to Usyk in 2021. That saw him pair up with Robert Garcia for the rematch, only to change once again after he failed to beat ‘The Cat’ for the second time in as many meetings.

Joshua, 33, will hope this transition brings about the improvement he’s been seeking inside the ring, with his career facing an uncertain trajectory as things stand. The two-time world champion was first stunned by Andy Ruiz in his maiden professional defeat in 2019, and despite avenging that loss, back-to-back losses against Usyk have dented his reputation considerably.

James, 51, is one of the most respected boxing coaches in the world and boasts an impressive CV to date. The American was voted The Ring’s Trainer of the Year in 2017 and boasts an impressive stable of fighters under his tutelage.

Among those sits unified welterweight world champion Errol Spence Jr., as well as undisputed light middleweight world champion Jermell Charlo. In time, Joshua will hope to add a third to that list as he begins the quest to reclaim his place atop the heavyweight pile.

More to follow.

—

This is a breaking sports story and is being constantly updated with the latest news, pictures and videos. Please refresh the page regularly.

You can also get email updates on the day’s biggest sports stories straight to your inbox by signing up for our sports newsletter.

Get all the very best sports news, pictures, opinion and video by following Daily Star every time you see our name.

Follow Daily Star on Google News – CLICK HERE and click the star
Follow Daily Star on Apple News – CLICK HERE available on Apple devices
Follow Daily Star on Flipboard – CLICK HERE and click follow

You can also sign up for Twitter alerts for breaking news by following @dailystar_sport and follow us @dailystar for all the latest updates.

Keep up-to-date with your must-see sports stories, features, videos and pictures throughout the day by following us on Facebook at

READ NEXT: