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LONDON — So much of Saturday’s fight was about starting a new chapter for former heavyweight unified champion Anthony Joshua.
It had been eight months since the British heavyweight — once upon a time so clean cut and untouchable — gave an embarrassing speech in the ring in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, unable to control his emotions and looking like a broken soul following his second straight defeat to Oleksandr Usyk. This fight against Jermaine Franklin, therefore, was about resurrection — a chance to rebuild his image and, more importantly, get back in the win column.
In short, that is exactly what he achieved with a unanimous decision win, although not in the style he would have wanted.
Back at London’s O2 Arena, Joshua enjoyed old comforts. This arena was where he made his pro debut and the stage when he won his first world title. His last bout here was a seventh-round TKO win against Dominic Brezeale in 2016, just two fights before his career took a quantum leap with the blockbuster win over Wladimir Klitschko. Tonight he also was without the pressure of a world title on the line, a fact he said in the build-up had been a weight off his large shoulders.
Joshua had said before the fight that winning was the only thing that mattered, but that isn’t quite true. He needed a statement victory, like the fight-five streak he enjoyed at the O2 years ago when three times he scored a knockout inside two rounds.
Joshua’s trademark during those hungry years had become his devastating straight right, and at the heaviest weight of his career (255.4 pounds) it was expected he would look to inflict damage on Saturday. That didn’t happen. Even his promoter, Eddie Hearn, admitted Joshua was “solid but not spectacular.”
He did not rock Franklin with any major power punches, nor did he look…
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