Anthony Joshua has claimed that he will retire if he loses to Jermaine Franklin this weekend.
Joshua is set to fight Franklin in a main event in London on Saturday, as the Briton seeks to bounce back from two straight losses to Oleksandr Usyk.
Usyk outpointed Joshua in 2021 to take the unified heavyweight titles from the 33-year-old, before retaining the belts against “AJ” with another decision win last August. Now, Joshua faces American Franklin in must-win clash at the O2 Arena.
“I will retire if I lose,” Joshua said, per the Daily Mail. “I’m not here to battle people; if people want me to retire, I will retire.
“I’m not going to fight if people don’t want me to. It’s not even about the money, it’s about the competitor in you. That’s what’s important.
“I know when I am retired, I am gonna be chilling. I’m gonna be thinking, ‘F*** everyone, I am done.’
“You lot put so much pressure on me, so when I am done, the chains are going to be gone. I am going to be laughing and loving life.”
Joshua has lost three times as a professional, suffering a surprise TKO defeat by Andy Ruiz Jr in 2019 before losing to Usyk twice in a row. AJ avenged his defeat by Ruiz Jr with a decision win six months later.
Meanwhile, Franklin’s most recent fight marked his first loss as a pro. The 29-year-old lost a controversial decision against Dillian Whyte in London in November.
Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos.
