Anthony Joshua’s return to the ring is edging closer, as the Briton prepares for a fight with Jermaine Franklin.
Joshua, 33, has not fought since August, when he suffered his second straight loss to Oleksandr Usyk.
The Ukrainian beat Joshua on points to retain the unified heavyweight titles, which he took from “AJ” with a prior decision win in September 2021.
Now, Joshua looks to take his first step back to a world title, as he faces American Franklin, 29, in London.
The pair will clash at the O2 Arena on Saturday 1 April, with the first fight on the undercard scheduled to begin at 3.40pm BST (7.30am PT, 9.30am CT, 10.30am ET).
The main card is set to follow at 7pm BST (11am PT, 1pm CT, 2pm ET), and ring walks for the main event between Joshua and Franklin are due at 10.40pm BST (2.40pm PT, 4.40pm CT, 5.40pm ET).
However, the main event may start later depending on the length of the preceding fights.
In the final bout before Joshua vs Franklin, rising British heavyweight Fabio Wardley will face Michael Polite Coffie. Before that, Felix Cash will challenge for the European middleweight title, and Ricky Hatton’s son Campbell Hatton will be in action.
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