Boxing: Anthony Joshua Beats Jermaine Franklin By Unanimous Decision

Former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua  got back to winning ways late on Saturday after beating American Jermaine Franklin 118-111, 117-111 and 117-111 by unanimous decision, at the 02 Arena in London, England.

The non-title fight in front of a 20,000 crowd was the 33-year-old Briton’s return to the ring after suffering successive losses to Ukraine’s WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO champion, Oleksandr Usyk.

Joshua’s early punches lacked any real menace or urgency, while 29-year-old Franklin grew in confidence. The American managed to land some strikes on Joshua, which made blood spill from his nose early on.

However, Joshua battled his way through the bout in the later rounds as he lived up to the redemption hype, with his blood all over his body as he claimed victory by a unanimous decision.

Without a knockout to seal the deal, plenty of questions remained as the fight ended amid scrappy scenes. It was Joshua’s first win in more than two years, taking his professional record to 25 wins and three defeats. It was a commanding display by Joshua, who seeks to fight his way back into contention on the boxing scene.

“Last time I grabbed the mic, it was a bit chaotic. I’m calm; I appreciate everyone coming out this evening,” Joshua told the crowd after the decision, referencing the second Usyk clash where he had a post-fight meltdown.

“I should have knocked him out but it is done. On to the next. He is here to prove himself, not roll over. I wish I could have knocked him out.”

• Read more: Joshua Can Still Bounce Back, Says Promoter

Joshua invited WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury to think again about a future fight.

“I would be honoured to fight for the WBC Heavyweight championship of the world,” Joshua added. “If he’s listening, he knows my promoter; we’ve had dialogue before, so let’s continue this. We ain’t getting any younger.”