FIGHT WEEK
Former heavyweight titleholder Anthony Joshua will return to the ring against Jermaine Franklin on Saturday night in London.
ANTHONY JOSHUA (24-3, 22 KOS)
VS. JERMAINE FRANKLIN (21-1, 14 KOS)
- When: Saturday, April 1
- Time: 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT (7 p.m. U.K. time) (main event later in show)
- Where: O2 Arena, London
- TV/Stream: DAZN
- Division: Heavyweight (no limit)
- At stake: No major titles
- Pound-for-pound ranking: None
- Odds: Joshua 9-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
- Also on the card: Fabio Wardley vs. Michael Polite-Coffie, heavyweights; Matteo Signani vs. Felix Cash, middleweights; Austin Williams vs. River Wilson-Bent, middleweights
- Prediction: Joshua KO 9
- Background: Joshua returns to the ring for the first time since his back-to-back decision losses to Oleksandr Usyk, which cost him his world titles (in the first fight) and a great deal of respect. The 2012 Olympic champion from the U.K. was first revealed to be human in June 2019, when Andy Ruiz Jr. stopped him in seven rounds to take three of the four major belts. Joshua rebounded by outpointing Ruiz in the rematch the following December to regain his titles and stopped Kubrat Pulev in nine rounds in December 2020, his last victory. Then came Usyk. The gifted former undisputed cruiserweight champ defeated Joshua by a wide decision in September 2021 to become a champion in a second division and do further damage to Joshua’s reputation. The former champ performed better in the rematch last August but still lost a split decision, giving him a record of 2-3 in his last five fights. Franklin is a massive underdog but perhaps not a complete pushover. The 29-year-old from Michigan lost to longtime contender Dillian Whyte this past November but he pushed the Londoner harder than anyone had expected, coming up short by a majority decision. If Joshua wins on Saturday, he will be an attractive candidate to face any of the top heavyweights. That includes titleholder Tyson Fury now that his projected showdown with Usyk seems to be off. Deontay Wilder is another potential opponent.
ROBEISY RAMIREZ (11-1, 7 KOS)
VS. ISAAC DOGBOE (24-2, 15 KOS)
- When: Saturday, April 1
- Time: 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
- Where: Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Tulsa, Oklahoma
- TV/Stream: ESPN+
- Division: Featherweight (126 pounds)
- At stake: Vacant WBO title
- Pound-for-pound ranking: None
- Odds: Ramirez 5½-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
- Also on the card: Joet Gonzalez vs. Jose Enrique Vivas, featherweights
- Prediction: Ramirez UD
- Background: Ramirez, the two-time Olympic champion from Cuba, lost a stunning split decision to journeyman Adan Gonzalez in his four-round pro debut in 2019 but has been untouchable since (including a shutout decision over Gonzalez in a rematch). The slick 29-year-old southpaw is coming off a ninth-round knockout of veteran Jose Matias Romero last October. He will be fighting for his first major title. Dogboe, a former 122-pound beltholder, is enjoying a bit of a renaissance. The 28-year-old from Ghana appeared to hit his ceiling when he lost his title to Emanuel Navarrete by a unanimous decision in December 2018 and then was stopped by Navarrete in the 12th round of the rematch the following May. He then moved up to 126 and has won four consecutive fights, including a split decision over capable Joet Gonzalez last July to earn him a shot at another belt.
ROY JONES JR. (66-9, 47 KOS)
VS. ANTHONY PETTIS (0-0, 0 KOS)
- When: Saturday, April 1
- Time: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
- Where: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee
- TV/Stream: Pay-per-view (UFC Fight Pass)
- Division: Cruiserweight (200 pounds)
- At stake: No major titles
- Pound-for-pound ranking: None
- Odds: NA
- Also on the card: Vitor Belfort vs. Ronaldo Souza, heavyweights
- Prediction: Jones KO 6
- Background: He’s back? Jones is 54. The once-great Hall of Famer hasn’t taken part in a sanctioned bout since 2018, when he outpointed journeyman Scott Sigmon. He hasn’t even been in the ring since 2020, when he looked his age in an exhibition with Mike Tyson. Yet Jones made the decision to take part in a real match and the authorities in Wisconsin inexplicably gave him the go ahead. He said he took the fight because he always wanted to face an MMA fighter with a big name, such as Pettis. Uh, OK. Jones might actually defeat Pettis, a 36-year-old former UFC lightweight champion with no boxing experience. Still, you can bet a lot of people are asking a legitimate question right about now: “Should a 54-year-old be taking part in an actual professional fight?” Probably not.
ALSO FIGHTING THIS WEEK
SATURDAY
- Floyd Masson vs. Fabio Turchi, cruiserweights, Brisbane, Australia (FITE).
- Adrian Pinheiro vs. Demetrius Banks, cruiserweights, Orlando, Florida (BoxTV.com).