Boxing

ANTHONY JOSHUA has undergone the biggest overhaul of his career for what looks on paper to be his easiest fight for almost a decade.With all due respect to 29-year-old Jermaine Franklin, our London 2012 Olympic legend should slice through him on Saturday night.
Anthony Joshua has overgone a huge overhaul of his training camp for his upcoming fight against Jermaine Franklin
Anthony Joshua has hired Derrick James as his new trainer for the fight
Anthony Joshua has undergone a huge shake-up of his training camp for the O2 fightCredit: https://www.instagram.com/anthonyjoshua/
jermaine Franklin will be aiming to inflict another dent on Anthony Joshua’s careerCredit: PA
Anthony Joshua has lost his last two matches – both at the hands of Oleskandr UsykCredit: AP
Because 33-year-old Joshua has spent the last eight years obliterating world title contenders and champions like Dillian Whyte, Wladimir Klitschko, Joseph Parker and Alexander Povetkin.
It was only when his team took their eye off of the ball and accepted short, talented, life-long boxer Andy Ruiz as a last-minute replacement for giant, talentless, drug cheat Jarrell Miller that the wheels fell off.
Even though he regained his hard-earned WBA, IBF and WBO belts from the Mexican – who wasted his six-month reign eating himself toward morbid obesity – the damage to Team AJ was done.
Team GB mastermind Rob McCracken – who was against the original Ruiz bout right up until fight week in New York – was undermined when unknown coaches Joby Clayton and Angel Fernandez were brought on board for the successful rerun.
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And the shocking cornerwork TV viewers heard during the first defeat to Oleksandr Usyk sparked a shake up, with McCracken exiting, AJ moving his camp from Sheffield to Loughborough and Robert Garcia coming in.
It has since been revealed that Garcia wanted to quit after just one week, over unnamed team members AJ had around the gym not contributing to the work.
And the respected Mexican-American trainer failed to tempt AJ over to California to train away from home and the local distractions.
So it was a surprise how well AJ boxed in the Saudi Arabia rerun last August and a shame the team members around him failed to stop his post-fight meltdown, a point Usyk, former Team GB sparring partner Frazer Clarke and British ring legend Ricky Hatton all made afterwards.
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AJ has since confirmed that the Garcia-Fernandez dream team was always a bit of a nightmare, with neither designated the head trainer.
He said, with admirable honesty: “I think it was difficult for Garcia in that camp because he was working alongside someone and he let them kind of be one of the lead voices.
“Angel Fernandez brought on Garcia, he brought him on as like a main assistant, someone with more experience. 
“It was like, speak with Angel, speak with Garcia, speak with Garcia, speak with Angel.”
Fernandez, like McCracken, Clayton and Garcia is now gone.
Dallas-based Derrick James has had full control of this training camp, with just a couple of Joshua’s close friends helping with logistics and camp management.
The sprawling 32-person team that sparked so much debate, after the New York loss to Ruiz, has been slashed down to a handful of essential and almost-constant faces.
Commercial commitments to the blue-chip brands like Range Rover, Under Armour, Lucozade and Hugo Boss have either been reduced or kept more underwraps.
Even training and nutrition has gone more old-school with AJ slashing at wood with an axe and eating the same boring foods like a couple of throwback heavy hitters.
Credit: SUNSPORT
🥊 Anthony Joshua vs Jermaine Franklin – Date, live stream, TV channel and all you need to know about heavyweight bout
“I was just doing some research on boxing and I came across Earnie Shavers,” Joshua told talkSPORT. 
“Maybe other fighters did it back in the day, but Earnie Shavers is known as one of the strongest punchers out there.
“He just said he used to chop wood, that was their form of strength and conditioning.
“I have been focusing more on old-school methods.”
When DAZN asked the 6ft 6in 17st powerhouse how his diet changes from the calorie-desperate days of camp to the final week of preparation, he credited an even older inspiration and undefeated 1950s world champion.
“It’s the Rocky Marciano diet,” he grinned.
“What he did was, in the week of the fight, he would have the same meals every day.
“That way your digestive system gets used to it, your stomach is not trying to break down different foods, your body gets used to what you’re eating on a daily basis.
“So it’s the same breakfast, same lunch and same dinner.”
Anthony Joshua’s legacy as a British boxing legend is secured.
Anthony Joshua has changed a lot behind the scenes to bounce back from his Oleksandr Usyk defeats
Anthony Joshua will fight Jermaine Franklin at the O2 Arena on Saturday nightCredit: Splash
The Olympic and world title wins changed the face of the sport and generations of fighters down the ages will continue to credit him.
Lawrence Okolie was still working in McDonalds when he watched AJ win gold on the last day of the London Games, last Saturday he defended his WBO cruiserweight world title for the third time.
In this third reincarnation of Brand AJ, after rebuilds from the Ruiz and Usyk defeats, it remains to be seen what he is really searching for.
He is too generous and charitable to really be doing it just for money, like he claimed at the announcement press conference.
He has repeated this week that boxing is a young man’s sport and a defeat on Saturday could even prove to be his last fight.
It feels like, after the frustrating defeats to Usyk – a smaller and older man who has almost 15 years more boxing experience than Joshua – he still wants to go out on a high.
Texan aggression-mentor James will hopefully reinstall his killer instinct, but who knows of that will result in that elusive Battle of Britain clash with Tyson Fury actually taking place.
Maybe the former fighters and pundits who once purred over Joshua and have hurt him with their recent 180 degree turns will rekindle their love and respect for him if he shines again at the weekend.
Whatever Joshua is looking for over in cowboy country and in old videos of black-and-white icons, every British boxing fan should hope he finds it.
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Because – even without those career-defining fights against Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fur… yet – the former bricklayer, who didn’t even pick up a pair of gloves until he turned 18, has given so much.
And hopefully there are still some huge nights, fights and surprises to come. More

ANTHONY JOSHUA sent Jermaine Franklin a chilling warning ahead of tonight’s heavyweight showdown.The pair faced off at the weigh-in yesterday – with AJ coming in at a career-high 18st 3lbs.
Anthony Joshua looked relaxed at the weigh-in with Jermaine FranklinCredit: Splash
AJ took on Dillian Whyte in 2015Credit: https://www.instagram.com/p/CqdJIiLIc9O/
The Body Snatcher lasted to the seventh roundCredit: https://www.instagram.com/p/CqdJIiLIc9O/
Listen to free live commentary of Anthony Joshua vs Jermaine Franklin on talkSPORT. Download the app.
The British hero, 33, looked extra composed in his first non-world title bout since 2015.
And that cool and collected attitude could work in Joshua’s favour – as he demonstrated on Instagram.
The former WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight king posted a video with the caption: “Calm.”
And the results when he is in that peaceful mindset are devastating.
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🥊 Anthony Joshua vs Jermaine Franklin – Date, live stream, TV channel and all you need to know about heavyweight bout
The clip shows AJ looking relaxed at the weigh-ins with Dillian Whyte, Charles Martin, Dominic Breazeale and then Franklin.
And then it cuts to the previous three challengers all suffering in the ring after being floored by Joshua, who beat all three convincingly.
He dispatched of Whyte and Breazeale with seventh-round TKOs and battered Martin to finish him off midway through round two.
And AJ knows he needs another win to get his career back on track tonight.
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He has lost three of his last five fights – including back-to-back bouts with Oleksandr Usyk.
A third in a row could wreck his chances of ever getting another shot at a world title.
Confident AJ said on Friday: “I’ve got my gameplan, I’ve got my mind right.
“I am ready for war.
“I know I can knock him out but I follow the process.”
The ring walks at the O2 Arena are expected to be around 10pm for the main event as AJ looks for the 28th win of his career.
Charles Martin faced Joshua with the IBF title on the lineCredit: https://www.instagram.com/p/CqdJIiLIc9O/
He did not even get to the end of the second roundCredit: https://www.instagram.com/p/CqdJIiLIc9O/
Dominic Breazeale was the next opponent in June 2016Credit: https://www.instagram.com/p/CqdJIiLIc9O/
That fight was stopped by the referee in round sevenCredit: https://www.instagram.com/p/CqdJIiLIc9O/
AJ is confident Franklin will suffer the same fateCredit: Splash More

ANTHONY JOSHUA could not hide the pain of his devastating world title fight losses from his seven-year-old son and credits his boy with helping him make Saturday’s emotional comeback.Little JJ would have been tucked up in bed last August when Oleksandr Usyk bamboozled his dad for the second time inside 11 months.
Anthony Joshua revealed his son inspired him to return to the ringCredit: PA
Anthony Joshua’s son convinced him to return to the ringCredit: Instagram @anthonyjoshua
The first occasion saw the Ukrainian genius take AJ’s WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight crowns in London the previous September.
After the second defeat, as Joshua failed to regain his titles in Saudi Arabia, the Watford hero threw a tantrum that his schoolboy son would have been proud of.
But in the post-fight press conference he broke down in tears and sobbed under the totally false impression that he had let Britain down, after a glorious decade winning the London 2012 Olympics and being two-time heavyweight champion of the world.
It was hard to watch, knowing how much the 33-year-old had given to British sport, and impossible for Joshua to hide from his son — and possible boxing heir — when he got home, beaten and bruised but never broken.
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“Oh yeah, definitely,” AJ revealed when asked if his son could sense his pain.
“He’s seven, he is going to be eight this year. He’s aware but I don’t think he cares. He knows it’s boxing, him and his cousins box now and again. He’s definitely aware.
“He’s like me when I lose, that’s how he is when he loses. We are bad losers.
“Honestly, he throws a big tantrum but I like seeing that side of him. It shows he cares.”
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Joshua makes his comeback against American Jermaine Franklin at London’s O2, a fight he must win if he wants to dance with the likes of Usyk or WBC king Tyson Fury.
Asked if little JJ was part of the motivation to return to the bearpit and risk the ridicule and danger with so much credit and money in the bank, he said, simply: “Yes.
“At first it was just for myself. Now it goes — myself, the family and then the community.
“There is that family element but it is not just him, it’s the whole family.”
BETTING SPECIAL – ODDS AND OFFERS FOR JOSHUA vs FRANKLIN
Joshua couldn’t hold back his tears after he lost to Oleksandr UsykCredit: EPA
Joshua loves the competitive spirit running through his bloodline but he also knows how dark and dirty the bleeding business is.
So he is torn on whether his pride and joy will ever fight for money he will hopefully never need, thanks to dad’s hard graft.
And the idea of harsh boxing critics comparing the father-son dynasty is already eating away at his paternal instinct.
Joshua explained: “I think he would have a good run at it because of the experience that I’ve got. I would be able to guide him, so he would have a head start.
“One thing I would tell him, if he was to do it — because it’s his decision and I wouldn’t force him to do it — I would say ‘don’t compete with me, try to be your own individual’.
“I’d tell him, ‘Anything I’ve achieved in boxing is not for you to try to match and use it for your own reasons’.
Joshua will face Jermaine Franklin in his comeback fightCredit: Splash
“I wouldn’t want him to get into boxing and everyone is asking about his dad, ‘Are you going to be like him?’ It’s too much pressure.
“That’s the advice I would give him, if he was to do it but I wouldn’t advise him.”
New American trainer Derrick James convinced AJ to move to his Dallas gym for this camp, tearing him away from his close-knit family for around three months.
And even though he returned to England last week to reacclimatise, Joshua has kept himself locked away at a secret Wimbledon base and refused to break his laser focus for any emotional distractions.
When asked if it was harder being 5,000 or 15 miles away from his loved ones, he instantly said: “Twenty minutes across London.
“It’s crazy because we are so connected now that it’s hard to get disconnected. But, when you’re searching for certain answers, you can actually listen to yourself a bit more when you’re disconnected.
Joshua lost twice to Usyk in his last two boxing fightsCredit: Reuters
“Being a bit further away from the distractions and the hustle and bustle and small distractions, being further away has been better, being home is harder.
“When you travel from one country to another, you kind of want to keep that same rhythm.
“I feel, no matter how much training you’ve done, you could potentially let your opponent catch up by slipping in the last week or so.
“I’ve kept it disciplined up until now and I will until fight night.”
When 18-year-old bricklayer and party-boy Joshua decided to turn his back on a life of petty crime to focus on boxing, he accepted the next 20 years would be like a prison sentence.
There was going to be loneliness, pain, stress, punishment, rejection, failure and sacrifice — lots and lots of sacrifice.

🥊 Anthony Joshua vs Jermaine Franklin – Date, live stream, TV channel and all you need to know about heavyweight bout
Now nearing his freedom, but sick of repetitive retirement questions, he reckons one of the toughest sacrifices was going from the remand wing at Reading prison as a tearaway teen to addressing The Queen, at a 2020 Commonwealth celebration, with the world watching.
The intensely-private Joshua said: “It’s hard to say what the biggest sacrifice has been but in this business people want to have a look into your life.
“I had to put myself forward into positions I had never been nurtured for. I stood up in front of The Queen for example, reading a speech at Westminster Abbey, that I’ve never ever really been prepared for.
“I never came from that walk of life and the sacrifice is getting up there and presenting yourself to the public.
“After that gig, I went back to the estate with my mates, so it’s a sacrifice.
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“I wanted to do better but I hadn’t come from there and I’m exposing myself to higher expectations. But I’m just a normal guy.”
Yeah, of course you are, Champ. More

JOE JOYCE has snapped up Anthony Joshua’s offer of a Team GB battle of the golden boys but doubts he will be true to his word.AJ and the Juggernaut, 37, did thousands of rounds in Sheffield ahead of 33-year-old Joshua’s London 2012 Olympic gold.
Anthony Joshua is keen to face Joe Joyce in the summerCredit: PA
And Joyce was robbed of that same top medal – and the mega-money pro and sponsorship deals AJ was handed – when he was stitched up with a silver after peppering Tony Yoka in the Rio 2016 final.
There was always respect and messages swapped between the pair until Joyce reckons AJ ghosted him after his 2019 loss to Andy Ruiz Jr.
But, ahead of Saturday’s comeback bout with Jermaine Franklin, Joshua has said his fellow Londoner is his ideal summer rival – and not presumed opponent Dillian Whyte.
“Dillian Whyte not so much,” Joshua said about the next step. “Joe Joyce is the one that interests me the most”
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Joyce is one of the mandatory challengers for WBA, IBF and WBO king Oleksandr Usyk but – in the bizarre way boxing works – Daniel Dubois, who Joyce dominated in a 2020 triumph, is ahead in the queue.
While waiting, the Putney giant has to come through Chinese southpaw Zhilei Zang on April 15 and then he will hold AJ to his big talk.
Joyce told SunSport: “It’s good that Joshua has finally found his tongue about me.
“I thought he might have thrown his phone in the Hudson river after he lost in New York and stopped replying to my messages.
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“I have a proper fight in two weeks against someone he backed away from – a 6ft 6in Olympic bronze winner. He’s fighting someone without that pedigree who looks about a foot shorter than him.
“ I saw AJ and Eddie promise that the winner of Franklin and Whyte last November was going to get this AJ fight and they’ve gone with the geezer who lost!
“But if we both come through I would have that fight in the summer, two of the best in the UK going at it and the winner fights Tyson Fury!
“But I’m just not sure he really wants it.
BETTING SPECIAL – ODDS AND OFFERS FOR JOSHUA vs FRANKLIN
Joe Joyce thought Anthony Joshua ghosted him after his loss to Andy Ruiz JrCredit: Getty
AJ suffered a shock loss to Andy Ruiz in 2019Credit: PA
“It’s so easy to make though – my management and his management know each other well and I understand Frank and Eddie and BT and DAZN would combine on it no problem.
“British boxing needs these fights – no more messing about”
“So I’m all in , no problem, but I fully expect them to find an excuse to back out when it actually comes time to sign a contract.
“I don’t think that AJ wants an opponent like me next.
“He may talk about tough fights against me and Fury but I reckon he needs to rebuild his confidence before he gets Juggernauted.“ More