Anthony Joshua seems to be standing at the crossroads of his career far too often and after back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk, once more the former Olympic champion seems to be fighting for his career.
At 33 he knows that the big Tyson Fury bout that has been talked about for years is now on life-support. He starts his comeback trail on April 1 when he takes on Jermaine Franklin knowing that anything other than a convincing victory could spell the end of his hopes for one last shot at a big payday.
Anthony Joshua vs Jermaine Franklin Odds
It won’t shock anyone reading this that Joshua has already been installed as the short odds-on favourite to win this fight. Betfred have opened the market with AJ 1/12 to have his arm raised in victory.
6/1 is the price you can see on Franklin to emerge victorious with the draw available to back at 25/1.
Franklin has a 22-1 record with 21 of his wins by way of knockout. His only defeat was a majority decision back in November to Dillian Whyte. This was by far his toughest opponent to date and to come on the road and keep it relatively close on the cards (115-115, 112-116, 112-116) was a credible performance.
Joshua however has been keeping completely different company to Franklin having fought to defend or for a World Title in every fight he’s had since 2015. To say this is a step-up in class for the American is an understatement but AJ has not looked great recently and I’m sure his confidence will not be rock solid.
Where and when is the fight taking place?
The bout will be the main event of an April 1 card at the O2 Arena in London. Joshua started his pro-career at the venue back in 2013 when he beat Emanuele Leo and won five consecutive fights there between 2015 and 2016. The Brit is a perfect 7-0 at the venue. Unsurprisingly it will be the first time Franklin has stepped into the ring in Greenwich.
Where can I watch Joshua vs Franklin?
AJ has signed a new exclusive deal with DAZN and this fight will be shown as part of their regular streaming package with new prices announced yesterday.
You can pay £9.99 if you subscribe for 12 months, £19.99 as a monthly one-off or a one-off yearly payment of £99.99.
Interestingly, this will be the first fight for years when AJ hasn’t fought on a PPV card.
What changes has AJ made?
Once more the trainer gets the blame as after a very successful career with Rob McCracken, he got ditched for Robert Garcia but the trainer of multiple World Champions has already been given the old heave-ho.
Derrick James is the new sheriff in town as the trainer of unified welterweight title-holder Errol Spence Jr. has been brought in to help rescue Joshua’s career. He also trains undisputed super-welterweight champ Jermell Charlo, so his CV is certainly impressive. Whether he can get AJ back on track is the $64,000 question.
How can I bet on the Joshua vs Franklin?
Betfred already have odds up for the result of the bout but as we get nearer the fight, many more markets will be made available with the likes of method of victory and what round will the fight finish in being two of the most popular. We’ll provide more content and analysis from the Betfred team nearer fight night itself.
Click on the Green Button below to be taken to the Joshua vs Franklin event page where you’ll be able to place a bet (or bets) on this fight.
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