Anthony Joshua defeats Jermaine Franklin on the judges’ scorecards after a tight 12-round contest.
Anthony Joshua had to make a statement to start the match, as many were hoping for a vintage knockout of AJ, who made him a huge star in boxing.
Under the watchful eye of new trainer Derrick James, it was clear that the Texan wanted Joshua to use his massive right hand to test Franklin’s jab in the opening round.
In heavyweight boxing, stamina is vital and despite losing a significant amount of weight for this fight, Franklin was showing signs of tiredness from round eight onwards and this led to a rather messy conclusion.
This sparked a sense of anticipation in the sold out O2 Arena crowd for the final two rounds. They have seen these classic Joshua finishes many times before and maybe their support would be the extra boost he needed to end the fight early.
