ANTHONY JOSHUA is training even harder for the fight against Jermaine Franklin than he did for the bout versus Oleksandr Usyk.
The 33-year-old London 2012 legend lost his WBA, IBF and WBO world titles to the Ukraine ace in 2021 and failed to regain them with a much-improved 2022 rematch performance.
The rebuild begins at the O2 on April 1 and AJ admits he would be a fool to ever underestimate an opponent again.
He said “I have to take Franklin even more seriously than I did Usyk.
“Not comparing them, but now I just know better.
“What I went through and how I trained was not enough, so I now know that I have to put even more pressure on myself to perform better.
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“As long as I am fighting, I am going to have this level of self-expectation to improve as a fighter.
“I know Jermaine Franklin is working in the trenches right now, so I have to remember that this is still a real fight.
“Just because Jermaine Franklin is not yet a big-name brand, it does not mean he cannot perform.”
New trainer Derrick James, who is rebuilding AJ at his Dallas gym, has been impressed with everything he has seen from his new student.
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James said: “The first thing I noticed was his athleticism and how fast he is.
“He’s a real guy, genuine and cool to be around. I told him at the start I would not be his cheerleader and he has never had a problem with that.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
