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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Will Freeman

Is Anthony Joshua retiring after Jermaine Franklin heavyweight fight?

Anthony Joshua faces one of the biggest nights of his career tonight, with Jermaine Franklin his opponent for the fight at the O2 Arena.

It is such a big contest due to Joshua having lost three of his past five fights, with successive defeats to Oleksandr Usyk and the lost of his world titles. This has led to a change of approach for Joshua, with Derrick James replacing Robert Garcia as his coach for the contest in London.

His opponent Franklin lost to Dillian Whyte at Wembley Arena in November, with his UK debut ending in disappointment after a close fight. However, as a former two-time world champion, Joshua will pose a sterner test for Franklin and the Londoner has hinted that he could retire should he lose.

READ MORE: Anthony Joshua vs Jermaine Franklin LIVE updates and commentary stream

Ahead of the fight, the 33-year-old Joshua has made hints towards his future, saying: "I will. I will retire if I lose. 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 too. It's not even about the money. It's about the competitor in you. That's what's important. It [pressure] comes with the business and it comes with the territory, I know that.

"I know when I am retired, I am gonna be chilling. I'm gonna be thinking f**k 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."

Franklin (21-1, 14 KOs) was previously thought of as a future world champion, with his unbeaten record before heading to the UK suggesting that he could well cause an upset on Saturday night. However, with a new chapter and a potential return to world championship fights, Joshua will provide a tough test.

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