Former world champion Anthony Joshua is set to the return to the ring with a fight against American Jermaine Franklin at the O2 Arena in London on April 1.
Franklin, who was beaten by Dillian Whyte in November, is expected to face Joshua with The Mail reporting that the paperwork was signed on Monday afternoon. Joshua will be hoping that Franklin can act as a confidence builder, with the British fighter having lost three of his last four fights.
He was offered the chance to fight against Tyson Fury following his most recent defeat to Oleksandr Usyk in December. However, Fury pulled out of negotiations when talks did not progress fast enough for the WBC heavyweight champion of the world and their December date could not be agreed.
