Anthony Joshua vs Jermaine Franklin reportedly agreed for April 1st

Despite previous reports that Demsey McKean would get the call, Anthony Joshua is looking stateside for his next opponent.

The Daily Mail reports that Joshua and Jermaine Franklin have agreed to meet on April 1st in London and are expected to complete the paperwork later today.

Honestly, I don’t hate this fight. Franklin (21-1, 14 KO) acquitted himself quite well against Dillian Whyte last November, so it’s nice to see him get another major opportunity. He’s the right kind of opponent for Joshua (24-3, 22 KO) to face after two rough losses to Oleksandr Usyk, beatable enough to potentially get Joshua’s confidence back but capable enough to make him earn it. Lord knows we’ve seen infinitely worse bounce-back fights. It would also be a nice lead-in to a potential rematch with Whyte.

If the Mail is correct, which would be quite the rarity, an official announcement should be on the docket soon.