Nothing but a win will suffice for Joshua, who is a huge favorite but is essentially putting his career on the line after those crushing pair of consecutive title losses at the hands of Oleksandr Usyk.
Paired with another new trainer in Derrick James, AJ should bounce back in style this weekend as he continues to watch the blockbuster showdowns in boxing‘s blue-riband division – with rumors again of a possible summer fight with Tyson Fury.
American Franklin returns to the UK as a significant underdog, but proved in his minor defeat to Dillian Whyte in November that he is fully capable at this level and should not be taken lightly.
How to watch Joshua vs Franklin
TV channel: DAZN has exclusive live coverage of Joshua vs Franklin in the UK and beyond with AJ not fighting on a pay-per-view platform this weekend for the first time since 2015 due to the massive £100 million, five-year agency contract he signed last summer.
Subscriptions to the sports streaming service in the UK start at £9.99 per month. DAZN recently launched its own TV station on channel 429 on Sky.
Live stream: Fight fans with a DAZN subscription can stream the event live on a variety of devices online via the website and app.
LIVE blog: Standard Sport will have live coverage of Joshua vs Franklin and all of Saturday’s undercard fights thanks to our dedicated blog.