Anthony Joshua has announced that he will hang up his gloves if he loses to Jermaine Franklin in their upcoming bout scheduled for this Saturday at the O2 Arena in Greenwich, London.
Joshua, a two-time former unified world heavyweight champion, was initially set to fight Tyson Fury in a much-anticipated bout last year but the fight never came to fruition due to sponsorship issues.
The 33-year-old former champion is currently on a bad run of form, having lost to Oleksandr Usyk in August of 2022, and will hope to turn things around with a victory over Franklin to get back in contention for the heavyweight titles.
When asked about a possible end to his career, Joshua responded, “I will retire if I lose. I’m not here to battle people. If people want me to retire, I will retire. I’m not going to fight if people don’t want me to. It’s not even about the money. It’s about the competitor in you. That’s what’s important.”
Despite the pressure he has had to bear throughout his career, Joshua indicated that he plans to enjoy himself after retirement.
“I know when I am retired, I am gonna be chilling,” he said.
“You lot put so much pressure on me so when I am done, the chains are going to be gone. I am going to be laughing and loving life.”
Joshua also downplayed Franklin’s chances, claiming that his opponent needed the fight more for his career resurgence.
“You’ve got Jermaine Franklin here, who is about 28 pounds lighter than he was against Dillian Whyte’s fight,” he said.
“He’s now got a six-pack, and this is what happens when you’re fighting Anthony Joshua. It’s a chance for him [Franklin] to catapult himself into the world of the heavyweight division.”
