British-Nigerian former world heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua outboxed American challenger, Jermaine Franklin at London’s 02 Arena on Saturday night.
Joshua, 33, put up a measured performance against Franklin, 29, to claim a unanimous decision victory after 12 rounds.
The three judges scored Joshua 118-111, 117-111, 117-111 to claim victory.
It was Joshua’s first victory since 2020, having lost back-to-back encounters with Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk.
After his victory against Franklin, he said his eyes were still on an all-British bout with WBC champion, Tyson Fury.
“You know me, I try and provide for the fans,” he says. “I know who the fans want. The ball’s in [Fury’s] court. I would 100% be honored to compete for the WBC heavyweight championship of the world. I stand here and I say that proudly. That would be an honor. So wherever you are, if you’re listening. You know my management. You know my promoter. We’ve had [dialogue] before so let’s continue and hopefully we can get this on sooner than later. We’re not getting any younger.”