Carl Frampton wants to see AJ ‘get rid of Franklin early on’ and call out Fury from inside the ring

Former two-weight world champion Carl Frampton wants to see Anthony Joshua ‘get rid of Jermaine Franklin early on’ and ‘call out Tyson Fury from inside the ring’ on Saturday night. 

AJ will return to the ring on Saturday after losing to Oleksandr Usyk for a second time in August 2022 – having previously lost his WBA, WBO and IBF belts to the Ukrainian in September 2021.  

Froch wants to see Joshua – who hasn’t won a fight since his TKO victory over Kubrat Pulev in September 2020 – make a statement against the American heavyweight on Saturday. 

Frampton then wants AJ to call out the Gypsy King – who said he would never engage in negotiations with Joshua again after their December 2022 bout fell through. 

Speaking to BBC Sport ahead of the weekend, Froch said: ‘Anthony Joshua has to not only beat Jermaine Franklin at the O2 Arena on Saturday, he has to win in style. A points win is not good enough.

Former two-weight world champion Carl Frampton wants to see Anthony Joshua ‘get rid of Jermaine Franklin early on’ and ‘call out Tyson Fury from inside the ring’

Joshua (left) heads into Saturday’s fight following back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk while Jermaine Franklin (right) heads to the O2 Arena after losing on points to Dillian Whyte 

Froch wants to see Joshua – who hasn’t won a fight since his TKO victory over Kubrat Pulev in September 2020 (above) – make a statement against the American heavyweight on Saturday

‘I want to see him get rid of Franklin early, stand in the ring and call out Tyson Fury. Fury-Joshua is still huge. A massive fight not just for British boxing but also on a global stage.   

‘A loss, and I think that’s the end for Joshua. Where does he go from there? But I don’t think that will happen. This is a fight where Joshua can get the confidence back a bit. After consecutive losses to Oleksandr Usyk, that’s what the big man desperately needs.’

Meanwhile, Joshua recently said  a battle of Britain clash with Fury could take place this summer if the Gypsy King fails to reach an agreement with Usyk for an undisputed clash.

Speaking at a media event ahead of his fight with Franklin, Joshua said:  ‘There is no better time [for me to face Tyson Fury]. Provided the Usyk fight doesn’t happen and he [Fury] doesn’t fight anyone in between, he needs me at the minute.’

However, Fury said he would never engage in negotiations with Joshua again after their December bout fell through.

Negotiations over the highly-anticipated bout had been ongoing for months before both parties declared the fight on December 3 was officially off the cards. 

The Gypsy King said he was furious at AJ for ‘wasting his time’ and stated he would never fight the 33-year-old in the future as a result. 

However, a fight could be back on the cards if Joshua defeats Franklin in their bout at the O2 Arena on Saturday evening. 

Meanwhile, Joshua says a battle of Britain clash with Tyson Fury could take place this summer

Joshua says there is no better time for him and Fury (right) to go toe-to-toe as the Gypsy King’s bout with Oleksandr Usyk (left) has fallen through

Frampton is hoping to see ‘the old AJ’ that used to ‘dominate fights from the centre of the ring, go forward and be aggressive’. 

He told BBC Sport: ‘We want him to go back to the old AJ that we used to know. I’m not saying it was brute force and ignorance, but it was close to that.

‘He’s a big, big man and he just went and took people out. Dominated fights from the centre of the ring, going forward and being aggressive. AJ’s not a boxer. He’s not fleet-footed, he’s a wrecking machine and he needs to get back to that. 

Froch finished by saying: ‘Can Anthony Joshua turn back the clock? It’s not going to be easy, but it’s definitely possible.’

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