As much as he tries to deny it, Anthony Joshua finds himself at a crossroads. Lose to Jermaine Franklin and gone is his stock as a serious heavyweight after what would be a hat-trick of consecutive defeats.
Joshua is acutely aware of what’s at stake at the O2 Arena on Saturday night and yet goes into the fight far more relaxed than many of his more recent bouts. Ahead of Andy Ruiz Jr, there was a bullishness from both him and his team that they had cracked the UK and were now ready to take the US by storm.
