Anthony Joshua’s opponent took years out of boxing due to bankruptcy

Anthony Joshua will make his highly-anticipated return to the ring against American hard-hitter, Jermaine Franklin next month. The fight comes for AJ after suffering his second-successive defeat to Oleksandr Usyk in August 2022 – having previously lost his WBA, WBO and IBF belts to the Ukrainian in September 2021.

Franklin remains relatively unknown in the heavyweight division despite going toe-to-toe with Dillian Whyte last November.

The Michigan native stepped into the ring with a professional record of 21 wins, 0 loses and 0 draws. He had also knocked out 14 of his 21 opponents.

However, it was Whyte who emerged victorious from their bout – winning via a majority decision after their 12-round contest at Wembley Arena.

Since tasting defeat, boxing fans have been scratching their heads as to why AJ chose Franklin as his next opponent – especially considering how he beat Whyte convincingly back in December 2015.

AJ is in desperate need of a win, with his last victory taking place over two years ago when he faced Kubrat Pulev in December 2020.

He now faces the American who developed his skills by watching Lennox Lewis – and even took two years out of the ring due to bankruptcy.

In a recent interview with Sportsmail, the 29-year-old said: “I was having issues. I had to support my family and I wasn’t really making money from boxing. I had to work to be able to support my family and then I had problems with my old manager.

“I had to file bankruptcy to get my assets back in order. My old manager got me in trouble with all kinds of stuff. He really didn’t have my best interests at heart. There was a lot going on during those two years of me being out of the ring.

“I was trying to but my work schedule was hard. It was really hard to fit it in. I had to get up and take my girls to school. It would be hard to go train, pick my girls up and then go right back to work after. I tried to. Every now and then I would pop up in the gym but it was really hard to do is consistently as my body was tired.”

Franklin’s personal experience – overcoming bankruptcy and breaking free from a toxic partnership with his former manager – has motivated him to help the next generation of boxers.

He added: “As you know, a lot of boxers weren’t well off in the sport. Not everyone was poor or have come from a hard background but a lot of us had never seen contracts before.

“At first, they offer you a little bit of money and you think everything is going to be good but then get to a s**t-show and it’s a whole different story.

“I just want to help boxers to be able to have a say in their own careers. To be able to live comfortably. Not to be forced to do certain things.

“I still want fighters to fight the best but I don’t want them to feel like they have been put in a situation where they have no say so.”

Ahead of the fight, both fighters appeared for the opening press conference last Friday, as Franklin revealed: “I’ve got the utmost confidence.”

He concluded: “I believe I can beat anybody. That’s never a doubt in my mind. If you doubt yourself you’re in the wrong sport, this ain’t the sport for that. So as a man, he’s a man just like I am. He bleeds just like I do, so I got the confidence to pull this victory out.”