Anthony Joshua announced his return to the top table of the heavyweight division with a win against Jermaine Franklin at London's O2 Arena on Saturday night.
Weighing in at 18st 5lbs, Joshua was at his heaviest ever with expectation inside the East London venue that he would seal a quick knockout against his American opponent. However, that plan was not to come to fruition as Franklin came out swinging and Joshua employed a conservative approach in the opening exchanges.
Things turned increasingly brutal as the fight moved forwards and Joshua sought to seek a definitive conclusion to a fight which was causing him more trouble than many predicted. Franklin had shown true grit and resilience but Joshua's ability to defend from his more aggressive opponent and counter with rock solid jabs was enough.
READ MORE: Anthony Joshua vs Jermaine Franklin LIVE updates and reaction
A knockout appeared close as the final rounds rolled around, but there was no decisive blow from either fighter despite their exhaustive efforts before the final bell rang. After the 12th round concluded, there were some unpleasant scenes centred around Franklin's corner.
They were broken up before the judges were able to reveal their scorecards, with Steve Gray (GB) awarding the fight 118-111 to AJ. Meanwhile, Fabian Guggenheim (Sweden) and Alex Levin both scored the contest at 117-111. While it may not have been his most devastating display, Joshua's polarity remains huge and he will expect to have regained some of the fans who may have turned away after recent fights.
Attention now turns to the 33-year-old's next fight, with the current chaos at the summit of the heavyweight division meaning that a very big opportunity for AJ could lie in wait against either Oleksandr Usyk or Tyson Fury in the next 18 months.
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