‘Get f***ing ready… Anthony Joshua is coming back with a vengeance’ – Eddie Hearn passionately rants about AJ’s return as Jermaine Franklin fight is planned for April 1
Anthony Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn has sent a warning to AJ's doubters - 'write him off at your peril'.
The former two-time, unified WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight world champion was dethroned and beaten twice by Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 and 2022, but is now planning his comeback this year.
It will begin with a fight on April 1 at the O2 Arena in London - with terms agreed for Jermaine Franklin to be the opponent.
Hearn made his feelings clear the DAZN Boxing Show: "I wanna say one thing - get ready for the return of Anthony Joshua.
"We live in a mad world. This guy has gone on a run where he has beaten Charles Martin, Dominic Breazeale, Eric Molina, Wladimir Klitschko, Joseph Parker, Alexander Povetkin, Carlos Takam, Andy Ruiz Jr, Kubrat Pulev, and fought Oleksandr Usyk twice - with no breaks, no easy nights.
"He comes off the back of one good fight with Usyk and one where he was dominated, he's fought the pound-for-pound number one back-to-back.
"The disrespect on this man's name is unbelievable. And I don't care at the end of the day.
"But what I'm telling you people who wanna downplay his achievements, people who want to say he's finished in the sport - get f***ing ready for the return of Anthony Joshua on April 1.
"Because this guy is in Texas, he's working and grinding every day. This guy's got money in the bank, he's got world championship belts on the wall, he don't care for either of them.
"He cares for the sport of boxing, he cares for regaining his world heavyweight title and I'm telling you he's coming back with vengeance.
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"Anyone who wants to doubt Anthony Joshua, this guy is a fine young man that is about to make an assault on the world heavyweight title again.
"And I can't wait. I'm so excited. I'm more excited than when this journey began. Write him off at your peril."
Asked about criticism of Joshua's next opponent, Hearn continued: "The haters go, 'Jermaine Franklin?' And then those same haters say Jermaine Franklin won the fight against Dillian Whyte by three or four rounds.
"So he didn't win that fight? That wasn't a great performance by Jermaine Franklin?
"You say Anthony Joshua has no confidence, he's a shot fighter, he's finished, but he's coming off of those defeats to fight a guy that you say just beat Dillian Whyte by three or four rounds.
"He don't want any easy fights, so if it's Franklin - and he is the frontrunner - it's gonna be a great fight.
"And I'm telling you Anthony Joshua is coming back with vengeance in the heavyweight division."