According to the Daily Star, the next opponent Anthony Joshua in his return to the ring on April 1 may become Jermaine Franklin. The American is one of the contenders to fight the British heavyweight at the O2 Arena in London. The final decision on Joshua's opponent has not yet been made, but Franklin is one of the leaders among the group of fighters who compete for this vacancy.
Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn is busy preparing the return of his boxer, and Franklin is on the list of potential options. At the same time, the last entry of the American into the ring ended in a defeat from Dillian Whyte. Franklin, 29, ruined his perfect record against rival Joshua last November. But now he can return to the UK for a much more serious fight with Joshua.
AJ is preparing for a comeback after two consecutive losses against Oleksandr Usyk. His promoter Eddie Hearn has booked the O2 for a comeback that will be Joshua's first indoor arena fight in the UK since he defeated Eric Molina in Manchester back in 2016.
It will also be his first appearance on the UK streaming service DAZN since he cut ties with Sky Sports last year. Australian Demsey McKean has previously been mentioned as another potential challenger, but at this point it doesn't look like he'll be selected as Joshua's opponent.
In order to prepare for this fight, the Briton is going to go to the USA, and in the coming days he will announce his new coach. American specialist Derrick James is today the main contender for the post of Joshua's head coach.
