Anthony Joshua has admitted he deserved the criticism from UK fans which came with losing his two fights with Oleksandr Usyk for the unified heavyweight titles.
The Brit was a favourite when he faced former undisputed cruiserweight champion Usyk in their first meeting back in September of 2021, but slumped to a decision loss on every scorecard. He improved things under Robert Garcia for their rematch a year later, but still couldn't do enough to retain the belts and has now changed teams once again.
And Joshua, a two-time unified heavyweight champion, has admitted that the critiques he faced from the British public, which have translated into weaker ticket sales for his comeback on Saturday night, were warranted. He has made a number of changes for his return, and is keen to show off his improvements with an emphatic win over Jermaine Franklin at the O2 Arena.
