Anthony Joshua has recently made an announcement that he will retire if he loses his upcoming fight against Jermaine Franklin on Saturday at the O2 Arena in Greenwich, London.
Joshua, a former two-time unified world heavyweight champion, was supposed to fight Tyson Fury in a highly anticipated bout last year, but the match did not take place due to sponsorship issues.
Currently on a losing streak, having been defeated by Oleksandr Usyk in August 2022, the 33-year-old former champion hopes to regain his footing by winning against Franklin and earning a chance to contend for heavyweight titles.
Joshua stated that he would retire if he lost the match, saying that he was not interested in battling people and would retire if people wanted him to. Winning is important to him as a competitor, and not for the money.
Once retired, Joshua looks forward to relaxing and enjoying life without the pressure that comes with his career.
Regarding his opponent, Joshua played down Franklin’s chances, saying that he needed the fight more for his career resurgence and that Franklin was now in a better physical condition than he was for his previous fight against Dillian Whyte.