Anthony Joshua: Briton to make ring return on 1 April in London against American Jermaine Franklin

Two of Anthony Joshua's 3 nonrecreational defeats person been astatine the hands of Oleksandr Usyk

Heavyweight Anthony Joshua's comeback combat volition instrumentality spot connected 1 April astatine the O2 Arena successful London, promoter Eddie Hearn has announced.

A quality league volition beryllium held adjacent week to officially denote the fight.

"It's a truly pugnacious combat with loads of unit to travel backmost due to the fact that if AJ doesn't triumph this fight, past we've got a large problem," said Hearn.

"I judge you'll spot a connection from a feline who is precise dangerous, precise motivated to go a three-time heavyweight satellite champion."

Joshua has lost his past 2 fights, some to unified heavyweight satellite champion Oleksandr Usyk.

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The Watford combatant is simply a two-time heavyweight satellite champion and has 24 wins, arsenic good arsenic 3 defeats.

Matchroom promoter Hearn dismissed the proposition 29-year-old Franklin was an casual hostile for Joshua.

Franklin was unbeaten earlier losing to Whyte and was unhappy with the scoring of that fight, feeling helium won the contest.

"There's truthful overmuch contradiction: 'Anthony Joshua is finished, mentally he's shot, but he'll sound retired Jermaine Franklin wrong 3 rounds,'" Hearn told 5 Live Boxing successful New York.

"The aforesaid radical that accidental Jermaine Franklin bushed Dillian Whyte but he's a unspeakable hostile for Anthony Joshua, successful a comeback combat aft 2 defeats to the pound-for-pound fig one.

"What this feline has done from a resume position is unbelievable.

"And I'm telling you now, this feline - inactive top-three heavyweight, susceptible of regaining his heavyweight satellite title."