Anthony Joshua v Jermaine Franklin April 1st

[Beanz]

Ticket prices for Anthony Joshua's comeback fight against Jermaine Franklin have been slashed to avoid potential embarrassment for AJ on the night. There are still a "couple of thousand" tickets up for grabs as Eddie Hearn attempts to sell out the 14,000 capacity at the O2 Arena in London, a venue where the two-time heavyweight world champion has plenty of history.

Joshua made his debut at the O2 way back in October 2013 against Emanuele Leo and has since boxed at the arena a further six times - the latest of which was against Dominic Breazeale in 2016 when he successfully defended his red IBF strap.

AJ also secured a statement victory over British rival Dillian Whyte in Greenwich in December 2015 before later moving onto big stadium fights at Wembley and the Principality in Cardiff.

But to mark his unfortunate fall from grace following back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk, Joshua is now facing the prospect of returning to the ring in front of a non sell-out crowd when he goes to war with Franklin at the start of April.

Much has been made at the number of tickets still up for grabs on The O2's website, so much so, that prices have now taken a tumble in a bid to entice fans into purchasing.

There are still a vast range of tickets up for grabs priced from £95 to £117 and for the higher price, you can get great seats with an impressive view of the ring.

This is unprecedented territory for Joshua since he won his first world title in 2016 as it's now becoming clear he is no longer the pull he once was following three defeats at the hands of Andy Ruiz Jr and Usyk (twice).

Hearn recently admitted that AJ's stock has somewhat naturally fallen before backing his man to launch a bid to become a three-time world heavyweight champion.

The Matchroom chief said in an interview with ESBR Boxing: "He's coming off two defeats, so of course you're not going to be the same size commercially as you were when you beat Wladimir Klitschko in front of 90,000.

"But he's a great fighter, he's one of the best heavyweights in the world. I feel like he can still be the best heavyweight in the world.

"And it's difficult times as well, yeah we've sold 14,000 tickets at the O2, we've got a couple of thousand left - which will all go.

"The fighters get their tickets this week as well, so there's not going to be many left.

"But he needs to make a statement and he needs to get people excited about Anthony Joshua again.

"We all love him, the country loves him, but do they believe in him as a top heavyweight, April 1 we will see."

The fight will be Joshua's first under new coach Derrick James, who is looking to carry out a "back to basics" approach to get AJ firing again.

Franklin will be no walkover though having recently pushed Whyte all the way during their November slugfest, a bout many thought the American won despite losing by majority decision.

The 989 Assassin has won 21 of his 22 bouts and could prove to be a banana skin for Joshua, who is eyeing a mega-fight with Deontay Wilder or Tyson Fury in the second half of 2023.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...e3bd16f5&ei=36

Boxers are born not trained.

How many 'trainers' did Naz have?
How many trainers did Cassius have?
How mant trainers did Joe Frazier have?

April 1st is the right date for another round of showbiz with blood.

Awesome points. Anthony Joshua is a fake. A hoax. No different than Adrian broner

This is possibly the most clueless post I have ever had the misfortune to read.

Did we just land in a Universe where Naz never turned up as a 7 Yr old and spent 16yrs being trained by Brendan Ingle?

How did an undoubtedly naturally gifted but ultimately idiotic donut like Broner who started boxing at 6 but blew it with a lack of discipline and more focus on his fro than his opponent become equivalent to Joshua not even putting gloves on until he was 18, and having to be taught everything?

Nothing fake about dedication, turning down shortcut money to turn pro, multiple medals, titles, belts, fighting your mandatories and rematching opponents who have beaten you.

Hoax?

Jeez... ������

You've obviously read 'The Paddy and the Prince' by Nick Pitt, re-acquaint yourself with page 6 and 7.

Sorry but no I haven't read it. What does it say?

[nuggetdotcom]

Ticket prices for Anthony Joshua's comeback fight against Jermaine Franklin have been slashed to avoid potential embarrassment for AJ on the night. There are still a "couple of thousand" tickets up for grabs as Eddie Hearn attempts to sell out the 14,000 capacity at the O2 Arena in London, a venue where the two-time heavyweight world champion has plenty of history.

Joshua made his debut at the O2 way back in October 2013 against Emanuele Leo and has since boxed at the arena a further six times - the latest of which was against Dominic Breazeale in 2016 when he successfully defended his red IBF strap.

AJ also secured a statement victory over British rival Dillian Whyte in Greenwich in December 2015 before later moving onto big stadium fights at Wembley and the Principality in Cardiff.

But to mark his unfortunate fall from grace following back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk, Joshua is now facing the prospect of returning to the ring in front of a non sell-out crowd when he goes to war with Franklin at the start of April.

Much has been made at the number of tickets still up for grabs on The O2's website, so much so, that prices have now taken a tumble in a bid to entice fans into purchasing.

There are still a vast range of tickets up for grabs priced from £95 to £117 and for the higher price, you can get great seats with an impressive view of the ring.

This is unprecedented territory for Joshua since he won his first world title in 2016 as it's now becoming clear he is no longer the pull he once was following three defeats at the hands of Andy Ruiz Jr and Usyk (twice).

Hearn recently admitted that AJ's stock has somewhat naturally fallen before backing his man to launch a bid to become a three-time world heavyweight champion.

The Matchroom chief said in an interview with ESBR Boxing: "He's coming off two defeats, so of course you're not going to be the same size commercially as you were when you beat Wladimir Klitschko in front of 90,000.

"But he's a great fighter, he's one of the best heavyweights in the world. I feel like he can still be the best heavyweight in the world.

"And it's difficult times as well, yeah we've sold 14,000 tickets at the O2, we've got a couple of thousand left - which will all go.

"The fighters get their tickets this week as well, so there's not going to be many left.

"But he needs to make a statement and he needs to get people excited about Anthony Joshua again.

"We all love him, the country loves him, but do they believe in him as a top heavyweight, April 1 we will see."

The fight will be Joshua's first under new coach Derrick James, who is looking to carry out a "back to basics" approach to get AJ firing again.

Franklin will be no walkover though having recently pushed Whyte all the way during their November slugfest, a bout many thought the American won despite losing by majority decision.

The 989 Assassin has won 21 of his 22 bouts and could prove to be a banana skin for Joshua, who is eyeing a mega-fight with Deontay Wilder or Tyson Fury in the second half of 2023.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...e3bd16f5&ei=36

Boxers are born not trained.

How many 'trainers' did Naz have?
How many trainers did Cassius have?
How mant trainers did Joe Frazier have?

April 1st is the right date for another round of showbiz with blood.

Awesome points. Anthony Joshua is a fake. A hoax. No different than Adrian broner

This is possibly the most clueless post I have ever had the misfortune to read.

Did we just land in a Universe where Naz never turned up as a 7 Yr old and spent 16yrs being trained by Brendan Ingle?

How did an undoubtedly naturally gifted but ultimately idiotic donut like Broner who started boxing at 6 but blew it with a lack of discipline and more focus on his fro than his opponent become equivalent to Joshua not even putting gloves on until he was 18, and having to be taught everything?

Nothing fake about dedication, turning down shortcut money to turn pro, multiple medals, titles, belts, fighting your mandatories and rematching opponents who have beaten you.

Hoax?

Jeez... ������

You've obviously read 'The Paddy and the Prince' by Nick Pitt, re-acquaint yourself with page 6 and 7.

Sorry but no I haven't read it. What does it say?

Now got as jpeg but cant copy in...............

[Master]

Jermaine Franklin believes he was chosen over Dillian Whyte to face Anthony Joshua because he won their fight 'in the world's eyes'. Franklin fell to a razor-close majority decision loss against the Body Snatcher back in November that was fiercely debated amongst fans.

The American is confident he should have been given the nod on fight night and scored the contest 7-5 in his favour. Meanwhile, the CompuBox stats show that Franklin outlanded Whyte in eight of the 12 rounds.

Prior to the contest, Eddie Hearn had promised the winner a shot at Joshua in the Spring but much to the surprise of many Franklin was given the opportunity instead. No reason was provided for the change of plans, but the 989 Assassin claims it is because he was the rightful winner.

Speaking exclusively to Express Sport, he said: "He lost, CompuBox said he lost, they can give him the fight, but English fans don't think he won the fight. I know what boxing is, it's a dirty game but he can give me my rematch and I'll whoop him again.

"I think they chose me because I won that in the world's eyes. I think I honestly won the fight 7-5. CompuBox said 8-4 but we're not going to cry about it we come back bigger and stronger."

Despite the frustrations he felt following the result, Franklin quickly bounced back, thanks in part to the support he received from British fans. "That day I was really messed up on that s*** but after that day I started looking at things differently and was just ready to get back to it and continue to perfect my craft," he added.

"So, it didn't affect me as much as I thought it would, I was just ready to get back in there. It didn't feel like a loss. The British fans were writing to me on Instagram, I had hundreds and hundreds of messages showing me love and support. So, that made me feel a little better in terms of the decision and how everything went."

Joshua and Franklin square off on April 1 at London's O2 Arena live on DAZN. The undercard includes another cross-atlantic heavyweight encounter in the co-feature attraction as Britain's Fabio Wardley takes on America's Michael Polite-Coffie.

Meanwhile, Felix Cash challenges Matteo Signani for the European middleweight title as fierce rival Austin 'Ammo' Williams faces River Wilson-Bent.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...b5df2291&ei=59

[Master]

Anthony Joshua has been inspired by Rocky Balboa's training methods ahead of his comeback fight against Jermaine Franklin.

Joshua has been inspired by late heavyweight Earnie Shavers ahead of his upcoming fight and has also utilised training methods made famous in the Rocky franchise such as chopping down trees.

"I was just doing some research on boxing and come across Earnie Shavers, who was known as one of the strongest punchers out there. He used to chop wood and that was their form of calisthenics, strength and conditioning. I've been focusing more on old school methods, strength and conditioning is a big part of sport now but I think there's a difference between strength and conditioning inside and outside of training camp. I think chopping trees and chopping wood is good for rotational power, from what I was researching anyway. It also makes good Instagram content!"

"I'd be lying to you if I said 'I'm going to this and this, come out southpaw'. It's all b******, I'm going to go in there and do what I do which is get that win. Let me go in there and do my job, I'm going to do my best. I'm a f****ng good fighter, I'm not going to make it overcomplicated. I'll find the gaps needed to break my opponent down," he added.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...b5df2291&ei=88

[NoSavingByTheBell]

Anthony Joshua has been inspired by Rocky Balboa's training methods ahead of his comeback fight against Jermaine Franklin.

Joshua has been inspired by late heavyweight Earnie Shavers ahead of his upcoming fight and has also utilised training methods made famous in the Rocky franchise such as chopping down trees.

"I was just doing some research on boxing and come across Earnie Shavers, who was known as one of the strongest punchers out there. He used to chop wood and that was their form of calisthenics, strength and conditioning. I've been focusing more on old school methods, strength and conditioning is a big part of sport now but I think there's a difference between strength and conditioning inside and outside of training camp. I think chopping trees and chopping wood is good for rotational power, from what I was researching anyway. It also makes good Instagram content!"

"I'd be lying to you if I said 'I'm going to this and this, come out southpaw'. It's all b******, I'm going to go in there and do what I do which is get that win. Let me go in there and do my job, I'm going to do my best. I'm a f****ng good fighter, I'm not going to make it overcomplicated. I'll find the gaps needed to break my opponent down," he added.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...b5df2291&ei=88

That may be the first intelligent thing that absolute useless piece of garbage has ever said in his life about Ernie shavers

[nuggetdotcom]

Anthony Joshua has been inspired by Rocky Balboa's training methods ahead of his comeback fight against Jermaine Franklin.

Joshua has been inspired by late heavyweight Earnie Shavers ahead of his upcoming fight and has also utilised training methods made famous in the Rocky franchise such as chopping down trees.

"I was just doing some research on boxing and come across Earnie Shavers, who was known as one of the strongest punchers out there. He used to chop wood and that was their form of calisthenics, strength and conditioning. I've been focusing more on old school methods, strength and conditioning is a big part of sport now but I think there's a difference between strength and conditioning inside and outside of training camp. I think chopping trees and chopping wood is good for rotational power, from what I was researching anyway. It also makes good Instagram content!"

"I'd be lying to you if I said 'I'm going to this and this, come out southpaw'. It's all b******, I'm going to go in there and do what I do which is get that win. Let me go in there and do my job, I'm going to do my best. I'm a f****ng good fighter, I'm not going to make it overcomplicated. I'll find the gaps needed to break my opponent down," he added.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...b5df2291&ei=88

That may be the first intelligent thing that absolute useless piece of garbage has ever said in his life about Ernie shavers

If Ernie hit you, you stayed hit, talking bollox about logs seems to be todays PC way, together with a load of shite with thenics at the end, some folks are obviously polishing up their media bullshit skills.

[NoSavingByTheBell]

Jermaine Franklin believes he was chosen over Dillian Whyte to face Anthony Joshua because he won their fight 'in the world's eyes'. Franklin fell to a razor-close majority decision loss against the Body Snatcher back in November that was fiercely debated amongst fans.

The American is confident he should have been given the nod on fight night and scored the contest 7-5 in his favour. Meanwhile, the CompuBox stats show that Franklin outlanded Whyte in eight of the 12 rounds.

Prior to the contest, Eddie Hearn had promised the winner a shot at Joshua in the Spring but much to the surprise of many Franklin was given the opportunity instead. No reason was provided for the change of plans, but the 989 Assassin claims it is because he was the rightful winner.

Speaking exclusively to Express Sport, he said: "He lost, CompuBox said he lost, they can give him the fight, but English fans don't think he won the fight. I know what boxing is, it's a dirty game but he can give me my rematch and I'll whoop him again.

"I think they chose me because I won that in the world's eyes. I think I honestly won the fight 7-5. CompuBox said 8-4 but we're not going to cry about it we come back bigger and stronger."

Despite the frustrations he felt following the result, Franklin quickly bounced back, thanks in part to the support he received from British fans. "That day I was really messed up on that s*** but after that day I started looking at things differently and was just ready to get back to it and continue to perfect my craft," he added.

"So, it didn't affect me as much as I thought it would, I was just ready to get back in there. It didn't feel like a loss. The British fans were writing to me on Instagram, I had hundreds and hundreds of messages showing me love and support. So, that made me feel a little better in terms of the decision and how everything went."

Joshua and Franklin square off on April 1 at London's O2 Arena live on DAZN. The undercard includes another cross-atlantic heavyweight encounter in the co-feature attraction as Britain's Fabio Wardley takes on America's Michael Polite-Coffie.

Meanwhile, Felix Cash challenges Matteo Signani for the European middleweight title as fierce rival Austin 'Ammo' Williams faces River Wilson-Bent.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...b5df2291&ei=59

How dare anybody refer to that mediocre tub of lard as the body snatcher when the real body snatch it was Mike McCallum

[nuggetdotcom]

Jermaine Franklin believes he was chosen over Dillian Whyte to face Anthony Joshua because he won their fight 'in the world's eyes'. Franklin fell to a razor-close majority decision loss against the Body Snatcher back in November that was fiercely debated amongst fans.

The American is confident he should have been given the nod on fight night and scored the contest 7-5 in his favour. Meanwhile, the CompuBox stats show that Franklin outlanded Whyte in eight of the 12 rounds.

Prior to the contest, Eddie Hearn had promised the winner a shot at Joshua in the Spring but much to the surprise of many Franklin was given the opportunity instead. No reason was provided for the change of plans, but the 989 Assassin claims it is because he was the rightful winner.

Speaking exclusively to Express Sport, he said: "He lost, CompuBox said he lost, they can give him the fight, but English fans don't think he won the fight. I know what boxing is, it's a dirty game but he can give me my rematch and I'll whoop him again.

"I think they chose me because I won that in the world's eyes. I think I honestly won the fight 7-5. CompuBox said 8-4 but we're not going to cry about it we come back bigger and stronger."

Despite the frustrations he felt following the result, Franklin quickly bounced back, thanks in part to the support he received from British fans. "That day I was really messed up on that s*** but after that day I started looking at things differently and was just ready to get back to it and continue to perfect my craft," he added.

"So, it didn't affect me as much as I thought it would, I was just ready to get back in there. It didn't feel like a loss. The British fans were writing to me on Instagram, I had hundreds and hundreds of messages showing me love and support. So, that made me feel a little better in terms of the decision and how everything went."

Joshua and Franklin square off on April 1 at London's O2 Arena live on DAZN. The undercard includes another cross-atlantic heavyweight encounter in the co-feature attraction as Britain's Fabio Wardley takes on America's Michael Polite-Coffie.

Meanwhile, Felix Cash challenges Matteo Signani for the European middleweight title as fierce rival Austin 'Ammo' Williams faces River Wilson-Bent.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...b5df2291&ei=59

All due respect but does anyone pay to see Dillian fight anybody? The yank was robbed, quel fucking suprise! No shit Sherlock!!!

Chickens, not logs, is the answer, da da dada da da da dada da coming strong now!

[Master]

"When I first came in boxing, I was at Finchley Boxing Club for about a year before I got taken up to the Olympic team in Sheffield. There wasn't much of that development stage, if I was boxing from 10 years old. you kind of go through learning the game but I was always in a situation where I was preparing for big fights and tournaments. Fast forward three years as an amateur, I turned professional and three years into that I won the British title and then became world champion.

"In the back of my mind I knew I was doing good, but I wanted to actually learn boxing. Angles, movements, positioning. It's crazy because a lot of us fighters are learning whilst we're fighting. It's not the fact that I went to Derrick James looking for the old-school style, but on that quest to improve and get what I need I stumbled across him.

"I really do rate Derrick James as a trainer. Lastly, I don't want to put pressure on Derrick and say whatever happens in the future is down to him, good or bad. It's all on me but asides from what he does for me, I just think Derrick as a coach I really do rate him highly," he added.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...a09a416c&ei=21

[Master]

Anthony Joshua explains why he split with Robert Garcia ahead of comeback fight

"The situation I found myself in Garcia...I was actually working with Angel Fernandez and Angel knew that he needed to grow his experience so I left it with him to decide who he felt he would connect with best," Joshua told Big Fight Weekend. "I believe that there's not much point in the athlete in making a decision if the trainer doesn't respect the other coach in the room.

"Angel worked really well with Garcia and that's what it was, we brought him in for the Usyk fight and he did a great job. After the Usyk fight it's a new chapter so I had to go out and do what was right for me. I went out for myself coach-hunting around America and I ended up in Dallas, Texas."

Accomplished trainer Derrick James, who has coached the likes of Errol Spence Jr, will look to put Joshua back on the path to world title contention with a win against Franklin. 'AJ' is a fan of James' coaching style as the trainer has installed a "USB of boxing information" in Joshua's brain.

"It's hard to say because you take a leap of faith, so I'm not going to say I knew everything the first day I went with Derrick," he added. "One thing I like is he's about self-teaching. He is saying 'I need you to also train yourself' and I like that approach, he's installing a USB in my brain of boxing information. So when he's not there, I can switch that on and all that memory will be in my brain."

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...0ccead7&ei=312

[Master]

“I will retire if I lose,” Joshua said, per the Daily Mail. “I’m not here to battle people; if people want me to retire, I will retire.

“I’m not going to fight if people don’t want me to. It’s not even about the money, it’s about the competitor in you. That’s what’s important.

“I know when I am retired, I am gonna be chilling. I’m gonna be thinking, ‘F*** everyone, I am done.’

“You lot put so much pressure on me, so when I am done, the chains are going to be gone. I am going to be laughing and loving life.”

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...ab0f0cd&ei=105