Anthony Joshua has declared that if he loses to Jermaine Franklin this weekend, he will retire from boxing.
The former two-time unified heavyweight champion was scheduled to face Tyson Fury in November or December of last year, but the fight was canceled due to sponsorship issues.
Instead, the 33-year-old chose to face Franklin at the O2 Arena in Greenwich, London. After losing to Oleksandr Usyk in August 2022, Joshua hopes to regain his form and compete for titles once more.
When questioned about the possibility of retirement, Joshua expressed his willingness to do so if that was what the public wanted, stating that his motivation to compete stems from his desire to be a true competitor rather than financial gain.
“I will. I will retire if I lose,” an excited Joshua said when asked about a possible end to his career
“I’m not here to battle people. If people want me to retire I will retire. I’m not going to fight if people don’t want me to.”
“It’s not even about the money. It’s about the competitor in you. That’s what’s important.”