Anthony Joshua v Jermaine Franklin: world heavyweight boxing – live | Boxing

Round 4

Joshua enjoys his greatest spherical of the combat to date by loosening up and protecting his opponent at distance. He retains working that highly effective jab from the skin, touchdown it virtually at will and swelling Franklin’s proper eye. There’s an explosive trade alongside the ropes close to the top of the spherical, however Joshua emerges unscathed.

Guardian’s unofficial rating: Joshua 10-9 Franklin (Joshua 39-37 Franklin)

Round 3

Franklin walks proper right into a proper hand, however retains transferring ahead undeterred. Joshua has been extra lively and retains touchdown photographs, however the American has made a behavior of instantly throwing again. Franklin lands a superb inside left hand to the physique. Joshua lands an enormous shot proper on the bell, however Franklin walks again to his nook smiling. Another shut spherical however Franklin has performed simply sufficient to edge it towards Joshua, who appeared no extra comfy within the third spherical than within the earlier two.

Guardian’s unofficial rating: Joshua 9-10 Franklin (Joshua 29-28 Franklin)

Round 2

Franklin lands an overhand proper and Joshua cracks again with a vicious counter. Franklin lands one other proper hand and Joshua is bleeding closely from his nostril. Joshua lands an enormous straight proper, the most effective punch of the combat to date. Both males landed strong photographs however nothing of main consequence. Joshua simply nicks the spherical on our card, however nonetheless trying worryingly stiff whereas Franklin retains transferring confidently ahead. AJ has landed 19 of 65 punches to date (together with 11 of 44 jabs), in response to Compubox’s punch statistics, in comparison with 9 of 53 for Franklin.

Guardian’s unofficial rating: Joshua 10-9 Franklin (Joshua 20-18 Franklin)

Round 1

There’s the bell! And Joshua instantly connects with a crisp jab. The Watford man’s career-high weight cuts an intimidating presence that’s dwarfing his much-smaller American foe, however AJ does look considerably tentative and tense as this largely feeling-out spherical progresses. Joshua continues to attain sparingly with the jab behind a good guard, however any ideas that Joshua would come out weapons blazing have been swiftly dismissed.

Guardian’s unofficial rating: Joshua 10-9 Franklin (Joshua 10-9 Franklin)

The fighters have been introduced. The ultimate directions have been given. The seconds are out. We’ll decide it up with round-by-round protection from right here!

The fighters are making their entrances! First it’s Franklin, a full-time roofer and part-time boxer till final yr, who goes off as a 7/1 underdog with a life-changing alternative in entrance of him. And now it’s Joshua, returning to his previous O2 stomping grounds for the primary time since stopping Dominic Breazeale method again in 2016.

The O2 is sort of packed to capability as we await the fighters’ ringwalks. In the meantime, let’s pour one out for the good Ken Buchanan, the previous undisputed world light-weight champion from Scotland who handed away this morning.

Fabio Wardley has seen off Michael Coffie within the ultimate undercard bout of the evening. The British heavyweight champion was unloading his American foe alongside the ropes when referee Harold Foster intervened on the 0:45 mark of the fourth spherical. A very untimely stoppage, absolutely. Next up: Anthony Joshua v Jermaine Franklin.

Preamble

Bryan shall be right here shortly. In the meantime right here’s Donald McRae’s lookahead to tonight’s major occasion on the O2.