Heavyweight boxing

ANTHONY JOSHUA will be hit with a barrage of ABUSE in Saturday’s comeback fight.For US opponent Jermaine Franklin vowed to pummel Britain’s dethroned world heavyweight champ with a combination of trash-talking taunts during their clash at London’s O2.
Anthony Joshua returns to the ring on April 1 with a showdown against Jermaine FranklinCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
Joshua, 33, is desperate to reignite his career following damaging double defeats to Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk, who took his WBA, WBO and IBF belts.
But Franklin, 29, insists he will come out swinging with all the verbals and mock “p***y” Joshua once the bell goes.
Michigan heavyweight Franklin, who has a record of 21 wins, one loss and no draws, visited SunSport’s London HQ to reveal his fight plan.
He admitted: “I talk trash in the ring but not before the fight.
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“In the ring I might call him soft, or a p***y, I start my talk in the ring.
“Outside the ring I might not say much, but inside you might hear me tell him: ‘Your momma hits harder than you’.
“Trash talk outside the ring is not my persona, I do it in the ring, during the fight, in the clinches.
“I want to frustrate my opponent in the ring. I’m probably too silly to trash talk outside of it, I will make myself laugh and not be able to stop giggling.
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“But my switch flicks in the ring and I get more ruthless.
“In my Dillian Whyte fight in November I called him weak. One time he hit me and I told him: ‘You’re too soft’.”
Franklin suffered a controversial points loss to Whyte in that fight.
But he has also spent a fortnight sparring with Britain’s undefeated WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury at his Morecambe home.
The American learned loads from the 34-year-old Gypsy King but will happily go to war with him — as he showed by chinning his cut-out in our office.
Franklin chinned a cutout of Fury in SunSport’s officeCredit: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing
Franklin explained: “Morecambe was nice but it is in the middle of nowhere.
“It’s a small town and everybody there knows Tyson and looks out for him.
“The first day we were there, people running restaurants and stores were picking up on our looks and accents and asking us what we were doing in the area. We told them we were training with Tyson.
“But someone must have called Tyson and told him, because the next second he pulled up in his car to check that everything was OK!
“I thought ‘wow’, I had no idea he was so involved in the community, he is loved up there.
“I learned a lot but I want to fight all the best guys, so if Tyson wants it, he can get it.”
And father-of-three Franklin, who has a wonderful background story of being brought up by two powerful grandmothers, will help his Saginaw community in Michigan with Saturday’s purse.
And he reckons that Joshua was bluffing when he said his comeback — after back-to-back world title losses to Usyk in 2021 and 2022 — was just about boosting his bank balance.
He said: “That was just a deflection or a mental tactic.
“To make out like he doesn’t really care about this fight.
“He is with a big promoter and he reigned as a champion for about ten years so he doesn’t need money — there’s no way he’s broke.
“He might want people to think he doesn’t care, but I could have said I was only fighting for the money, to catch him off guard.
“Anyone can bluff like that.”
Franklin will insult and assault AJ for every moment of their London showdown.
But he claims the London 2012 golden boy has got unfair stick after his empire crumbled over two legs against the Ukraine ace.
He explained: “I love the sport so — until someone can show me that AJ is finished — I will not question him, he has done too much.
“As a fighter, I cannot just turn on him when he is an Olympic gold medal winner who reigned as a world champion for a long time.
“I take points off Joshua for losing to Usyk twice, because he was only a cruiserweight who moved up.
“But if Usyk never loses then AJ’s stock goes up.
“However, if Usyk gets beat in his next fight, then it will look bad on AJ.
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“We jump the gun too much in this sport. It’s not like basketball or soccer, where once you are great, you are great.
“He is great, but I hope to be greater.” More

JERMAINE Franklin says he’s confident he’ll shock the world in his next big fight – thanks to a little help from Tyson Fury.The dangerous underdog takes on former heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua next weekend in a crunch clash for both fighters.
Jermaine Franklin is pictured at Square Off Gym in Miramar, Florida, earlier this month where he sat down with The U.S. SunCredit: Romain Maurice for The US Sun
Franklin is preparing for his biggest fight to dateCredit: Romain Maurice for The US Sun
While superstar AJ is looking to rebuild his career following two successive defeats to Oleksandr Usyk, Franklin traveled to London last week ahead of their showdown at the 02 Arena with nothing to lose.
The 29-year-old returns to the English capital after being ‘robbed’ in his previous fight against experienced bruiser Dillian Whyte in November.
Franklin came out on the wrong end of a very tight points decision which could have gone either way but the experience of fighting in front of a packed crowd with the spotlight shining suited the man from Saginaw, Michigan.
He put on a performance full of heart, guts and strength and will need to produce more of the same to send Joshua toppling to another damaging defeat.

But after warming up for the Whyte fight by training with king of the division Fury at his base in northern England, Franklin is ready for anything.
His camp know Sugar Hill, Fury’s current trainer, so a hook-up was easy to arrange.
“It was a great experience,” a relaxed Franklin, who invited The U.S. Sun down to his training camp in Hollywood, Florida, said about the time spent in the ring with the self-styled Gypsy King.
“I got to learn from a world champion, and I just loved the atmosphere. I love to do anything I can learn from. It doesn’t matter if I’m whooping ass or I’m getting my ass whooped.”
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Fury treated Franklin like royalty – and the American got a glimpse of what it’s like to be king…of Morecambe!
Fury is based in the small seaside town of Morecambe, 60 miles north of Manchester.
It’s a long way from Michigan but Franklin felt right at home.
“We walked around, had some fish and chips and everyone knew him,” he recalled with a smile.
“But he’s a people person and that’s what I like. I always tell people don’t treat me like I am famous. I’m not arrogant, just a regular guy.
“Just come and talk to me.”
While Fury’s size and style makes him arguably the most awkward – and dangerous – fighter in the game, trading sparring blows in the ring was a massive help.
Joshua is a different kind of prospect but Franklin is ready.
“Tyson helped me add something to my skills,” he said.
“Anything that helps me add to my game is great.”
All eyes will naturally be on Joshua and if the former Olympic champ can rescue his career and – potentially – set up a mouthwatering tussle with Fury.
Yet Franklin hasn’t just hopped over the pond to make up the numbers. For someone who was left stagnant for two years as the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc all over the world, there was a time when landing massive fights like this were nothing but a pipedream.
Franklin was forced to get a job to provide for his young family and knows if he can follow the lead of Mexican-American Andy Ruiz and stun Joshua once again, massive paydays will surely follow.
Ruiz was overlooked by AJ in June 2019 – a fatal move that resulted in the Brit losing all his belts in one of the biggest shocks of recent years.
“I always been looked at as an underdog,” he admitted.
“So I’m comfortable there. I love to prove people wrong. I have always believed that anything can happen. As an amateur, I was always being told I’m the fat kid. I’ll never make it as a pro.
“Well, look at me now. Anything is always possible.”
That said, watching the footage of AJ being battered by unlikely hero Ruiz at Madison Square Garden has been scrutinized by Franklin’s team who are leaving no stone unturned.
“I’ve seen some mistakes,” concluded the pride of Saginaw who admits he’s a student of the game who’s been watching Joshua go about his business long before this clash was agreed.
Tyson Fury has helped Franklin prepare for the big showdownCredit: Getty Images – Getty
“We watched a lot of stuff to know how can we capitalize on certain things that he does. I’ll go in there and try to dominate and destroy – that’s always my mindset
“I am ready.”
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