Jermaine Franklin has downplayed Anthony Joshua's punch power ahead of their showdown this weekend.
'AJ' will return to the ring for the first time since losing his rematch to Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia last August, when he is set to touch gloves with Franklin at London's O2 arena this weekend. Joshua will be looking to regain momentum in his heavyweight career after back-to-back losses to the Ukrainian, and restore his dominant KO record which he held for so many years during his rise.
The British star has come under fire for his tactical approaches to his fights with Usyk, which many have suggested went away from his power-punching style. Franklin has insisted he is unconcerned by any return to his aggressive approach, and believes his fight IQ could see him land some big shots of his own.
"I'm not worried about his power," Franklin told iFL TV. "I am smart, I am not dumb in there but I am not worried about. He is going to have to hurt me, any other way besides that I have nothing to worry about in there. Just stay smart and stay protected by using my defence in the ring.
"Yeah I think I have the power to hurt anybody in there, I don't make too much of weaknesses on his side. But even before the losses, we watched all types of footage on him and we like to look for habits and small mistakes. A lot of people try to capitalise on the losses, but we think deeper than that. I see some mistakes."
Franklin recently is coming in off the back of a devastating tight defeat to Joshua's former rival Dillian Whyte, in which he showed his credentials as a threat at heavyweight. Joshua knows that a win will be crucial if he is to return to the world-title mix, with big fights against Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder potentially on the table later this year.
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Joshua has linked up with trainer Derrick James as he seeks a new approach to a career-defining fight back on home soil. And the former two-time champion has admitted he will retire if he is unable to progress beyond the American on Saturday night. "I will. I will retire if I lose," he told reporters. "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 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."
