Sports Desk
ISLAMABAD/LONDON: British heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua will make a comeback against American Jermaine Franklin on April 1 at the O2 Arena in London.
The announcement comes after Joshua, 33, took some time out of the ring following his failed negotiations with Tyson Fury for a WBC title fight.
Briton Dillian Whyte, who suffered a knock-out loss from Joshua in 2015, beat Franklin on points in November, the first loss in 22 fights for the 29-year-old American.
Joshua seeks first victory since beating Pulev in 2022
Joshua, who suffered back-to-back losses to world champion Oleksandr Usyk, will now seek a first win since beating Kubrat Pulev in 2020.
Southpaws Otto Wallin and Demsey McKean were also in consideration for Joshua’s next bout, but Franklin, who cuts a similar frame to Whyte, got the nod.
Joshua is a two-time former unified world heavyweight champion known for his devastating power. He twice held the WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO titles between 2016 and 2021.
He is an Olympic gold medalist in the super-heavyweight category and held British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles from 2015-2016.
Joshua has lost thrice in 27 of his professional fights and has a knock-out percentage of 81.48%.
