Anthony Joshua and Eddie Hearn confirmed their interest in a fight against Tyson Fury next despite making hard work of his fight against Jermaine Franklin on Saturday night.
Joshua won by a unanimous decision in the fight at London’s O2 Arena, his first victory since 2020. It was not a convincing display as a conservative start to the fight gave way to a more exciting finish.
Franklin remained a constant threat despite the superior technical skill of Joshua. However, it was not the resounding win which would have been hoped for by the man who might have been expecting to announce his return to the pinnacle of the sport with a dominant showing.
READ MORE: Anthony Joshua vs Jermaine Franklin LIVE updates and reaction
Despite his difficulties to put the fight to bed, Joshua still expressed an interest after the fight in a meeting with Tyson Fury. The pair failed to agree on a fight last autumn, leading to Fury facing Derek Chisora and Joshua taking on Franklin.
Speaking after his win, Joshua said: “I try to provide for the fans. I know who the fans want! They said Fury, yes? The ball is in his court. I’d be honoured to compete for the WBC championship of the world.
“Wherever you are, you know our manager and promoter, hopefully we can get this on sooner or later. I can’t wait to get back to Texas and develop. One fight leads to another.”
A fight will have to be arranged by Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren, with the respective representatives both competing for one of the biggest British fights of all time. This could lead to a smaller fight being made but Hearn did not deny the interest as Joshua confirmed a summer fight.
Eddie Hearn said: “AJ wants the biggest fights. Tonight was a step down from Usyk, he's learning a lot. We’re willing to go straight into a Tyson Fury fight this summer.
“He’s improved a lot, but he wants the biggest fights as well.”
Joshua added: “You’ll see me in the summer for sure. You’ll definitely see me in the summer.”
