01 April 2023 , 07:00
1086
0
Anthony Joshua will return to the ring tonight for the first time since last August in London.
Joshua will take on his comeback fight on home soil against American contender Jermaine Franklin who was recently narrowly outpointed by AJ's rival Dillian Whyte. Joshua lost back-to-back fights against Oleksandr Usyk including their rematch in Saudi Arabia last August, but will be hoping to reignite his journey at world title level.
A win for Joshua could see him set up huge showdowns with the likes of Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder, but defeat could spell a damaging blow to his boxing career.
Here is all you need to know ahead of fight night below...
What time will Anthony Joshua v Jermaine Franklin start tonight?
Joshua's showdown with Franklin will take place at London's O2 arena tonight. The fight card will begin at 7pm with an undercard filled with domestic talent including Fabio Wardley, Campbell Hatton and Galal Yafai. Main event ring walks are expected at around 10:40pm according to Matchroom Boxing with the action set to unfold at 10:55pm when pre-fight proceedings are completed.
Eddie Hearn opens talks for Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou heavyweight fight
This schedule will all depend on the duration of the undercard bouts.
How to watch Joshua v Franklin via TV and live stream
Joshua's showdown with Franklin will be his first fight live exclusively on streaming service DAZN in the UK since departing traditional broadcaster Sky Sports. The showdown will begin at around 7pm on domestic shores with an undercard set to preceed the headlining attraction. A subscription to DAZN currently costs £9.99 a month providing fans sign up for a 12-month term and you can purchase one here. Alternatively customers can purchase a flexible pass priced at £19.99 which is able to be cancelled at 30-days notice.
In a DAZN first, viewers are now able to watch the event via Sky channel 429, while Virgin Media customers can also purchase an event through their respective box. It can also be caught on multiple devices including laptop, smart TV and through the mobile app.
Full fight card
Main Event: Anthony Joshua vs Jermaine Franklin
Fabio Wardley vs Michael Polite Coffie
Galal Yafai vs Moises Calleros
Campbell Hatton vs Louis Fielding
Austin Williams vs River Wilson-Bent
John Hedges vs Daniel Bocianski
Jordan Flynn vs Kane Barker
Boxing fans brand Anthony Joshua vs Jermaine Franklin decision "a disgrace"
Juergen Uldedaj vs Benoit Huber
Ziyad Almaayouf vs Georgi Velichkov
Peter Kadiru vs Alen Lauriolle
Odds
Joshua 1/12
Franklin 7/1
Draw 25/1
Click here to bet with bet365 *
*Odds subject to change
Quotes corner
Joshua: "Looking at the Andy Ruiz fight you could see from the ring walk that something wasn't right. I've never come up and said 'this is the problem, this what it was', people can live on that. The difference is when you watch those fights on TV it's one thing. When you step in the ring with me, it's another. So you can watch as much as you want but until you face me you'll never know what it's like.
"I still feel fresh and young, not like a seasoned pro. I adapted to certain fights so I've not taken crazy punishment. At this point in my career I'm not like 'oh s*** I've taken so much punishment,' I still feel fresh. I like making money, straight up this is a prize-fighting sport."
Franklin: "I've always been confident in myself," Franklin said. "I never lacked in confidence. But I've just been working, I got home and got right back in the gym [after the Whyte fight]. "It was a messed up fight so I've just been in the gym working, waiting. I feel like I won the fight 7-5 from what I watched, but it's boxing. I won't cry about it, I know how that stuff goes.
"So it was just back to the drawing board for me, trying to get back in shape and look for different aspects, different ways to attack, different points to my game and just overall improvement. "I believe I can beat anybody, there's never a doubt in my mind. If you doubt yourself you're in the wrong sport. As a man, he's a man just like I am, he bleeds just like I do so I have the confidence that I can pull this victory out. "