Boxing News 2023: Wild scenes after fight after Anthony Joshua’s disrespectful act towards Jermain Franklin

Tensions erupted into fiery post-fight scenes as Anthony Joshua and Jermaine Franklin clashed horns after a heavyweight bout at the 02 Arena in London.

Just seconds after the final bell rang in a 12-round bout, the 33-year-old British superstar landed a soft, disrespectful jab to the back of Franklin’s head.

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The pair then went face to face like bulls as they exchanged heated words.

The referee and coach Franklin eventually separated the heavyweights before any major damage was done, but the post-match brawl was nevertheless considered by many to be the most exciting moment of the somewhat bleak fight.

Joshua, a two-time heavyweight champion, got his career back on track with a unanimous points victory over his tough American rival, his first victory in nearly three years.

He won 118–111, 117–111, 117–111 on three judges’ scorecards, marking a comeback of sorts after consecutive defeats by Oleksandr Usyk saw the former Olympic champion lose and then fail to regain his world titles.

Moments after their post-fight brawl, Joshua’s hand was raised as he was declared the winner of the fight—a somewhat disappointing result considering many felt his opponent was not up to his world-class standards.

His trainer Derrick James even hinted that he was disappointed with Joshua’s lack of aggression and his inability to score by knockout in the late rounds.

Joshua ended up shaking hands with his American opponent after his hand was raised in triumph, his 25th win in 28 pro fights, before he apologized to the audience for the embarrassing incident after the fight.

“There is a different type of energy here inside this square circle, so I apologize to everyone who looks and sees things like this, because we are athletes,” Joshua said in an interview after the fight.

“But I respect Jermain, I respect everyone here tonight.”

Joshua also expressed his disappointment at not being able to knock Franklin out, saying that “15 years from now, no one will remember this fight anyway.”

“Jermain had a good crouching and diving style, he knew how to pull himself together and he was good at it,” he said.

“I should have knocked him out, but now the job is done and we move on to the next one.

“When people come to fight me they bring a different type of energy, he wasn’t here to flip.”

AJ then turned his attention to WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, saying the time was ticking for the pair to finally achieve the all-British dream fight.

“You know me, I like to provide for the fans. I know who the fans want. Who do the fans want? Joshua said.

“They say Fury? With the ball on his side, I will be 100 percent honored to fight for the WBC heavyweight title.

“I’m standing here and saying this with pride, it would be an honor, so wherever you are, if you’re listening. You know my management, you know my promoter.

“We already had a dialect, so let’s continue and hopefully we can do it sooner rather than later. We’re not getting any younger.”

Originally published as Wild scenes after the fight after the victory of Anthony Joshua over Jermaine Franklin