Eddie Hearn: "Jermaine Franklin [vs Anthony Joshua] is Ggonna be a Great Fight"

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The heavyweight division has been buzzing with excitement as promoter Eddie Hearn publicly announced Anthony Joshua's next opponent: Jermaine Franklin. Although Hearn had previously stated that Joshua would be facing a lower level opponent in an effort to regain confidence, fans had still hoped for a stronger adversary.

Jermaine Franklin, with a record of 21 wins, 1 loss, and 14 knockouts, is currently ranked 29th in the world among heavyweights according to Boxrec. He last stepped into the ring at the end of last year, where he lost to Dillian Whyte in a controversial majority decision.

Despite the defeat, Franklin's performance in the bout was impressive, leading many to believe that he was robbed in the fight. A new opportunity presents itself for Franklin as he prepares to face Joshua. If he emerges victorious, he will see a significant rise in the rankings and Hearn is confident that the match will be a great one, despite criticism from fans.

"The haters go, 'Jermaine Franklin? Oh, what a [bad] fight,'” Hearn said in an interview with The DAZN Boxing Show. "At the same time those same haters say that Jermaine Franklin won the fight against Dillian Whyte by three or four rounds.

F--- me. You can’t have it [both ways]. So what? So, he didn’t win that fight? That wasn’t a great performance by Jermaine Franklin?"

"No Easy Fights for Joshua"

Hearn emphasized that Joshua is not interested in taking the easy road, stating, "He don’t want any easy fights.

Franklin [is] gonna be a great fight. And I’m telling you, Anthony Joshua is coming back with a vengeance in the heavyweight division." Despite being the heavy favorite in the fight, Hearn acknowledges the danger Joshua will face if he were to suffer a third consecutive loss.

The upcoming bout between Joshua and Franklin promises to be an exciting match, with both fighters having everything to gain and everything to lose. Hearn, as a seasoned promoter, will likely generate significant buzz around the fight, but it remains to be seen whether it will live up to the hype.