By Olu Allen
Anthony Joshua relied on a heavy jab to get the result in the bout with brave Jermaine Franklin to score a unanimous decision at the O2 Arena in London. Joshua was far too conservative and looked unsure at times as he failed to finish Jermaine Franklin.
It was a good result for Joshua who sacked his trainer Robert Garcia for the 2022 coach of the year Derrick James.
Derrick James has made a much calmer Joshua, who now used his jab like a weapon in the first half before devolving into a clinch-heavy, safety approach that drew criticism from James in the corner.
Joshua entered the bout at a career-high of 255 pounds, his gas tank never suffered and he put the added muscle to good use by tiring out Franklin, by leaning on him.
Jermaine has a good duck-and-dive style. Joshua had his nose bloodied in the second round but was never in trouble despite being briefly wobbled twice by hard right counters. But despite out landing Franklin by a margin of 117 to 58, according to CompuBox, Joshua never fully committed to finishing him.
Joshua appears somber in his corner, perhaps knowing that he’s delivered a performance that will not strike fear in the hearts of Fury, Wilder, Joyce, Anderson, and the other contenders in the heavyweight cupboard.
Despite the inconsistency of Joshua’s win in his first fight with James, he didn’t hesitate to aggressively chase his future by calling out unbeaten Tyson Fury, who recently saw talks for an undisputed title fight against Usyk fall apart.
The fight card, results for the night is:
Anthony Joshua def. Jermaine Franklin via unanimous decision (118-11, 117-111, 117-111).
Fabio Wardley def.x Michael Coffie via fourth-round TKO
