Heavyweight Anthony Joshua says he has put his heart back in boxing as he prepares to face Jermaine Franklin at the O2 Arena in London on 1 April.<\/span><\/p>\n The Briton, 33, looks for his first win since 2020 after successive defeats by unified champion <\/span>Oleksandr Usyk<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Joshua said he was more serious than ever before about his boxing career.<\/span><\/p>\n “I’ve always tried to make an empire but I made a conscious decision last year to put my heart into boxing and nothing else,” he said.<\/span><\/p>\n “Throughout my career, this is probably the most serious time I’ve taken it.”<\/span><\/p>\n Joshua was joined by his new coach Derrick James, with both men flying from Texas to London to attend the news conference.<\/span><\/p>\n The two-time heavyweight world champion fights at the O2 Arena for the first time since 2016, and the first time in eight years he will not be fighting for a world title.<\/span><\/p>\n Since his last bout at the O2, where he has fought seven times, Joshua has had the majority of his bouts at major outdoor stadiums.<\/span><\/p>\n American Franklin, 29, is the clear underdog, just as he was when he lost to Dillian Whyte <\/span>on points last December<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n But two demoralising defeats by Usyk have left Joshua at a crossroads in his career.<\/span><\/p>\n “Everything I’ve been through – positive, negative – I’m using it to fuel my camp now,” he said.<\/span><\/p>\n Franklin is an opponent many think beneath Joshua – but has been drafted in with the intention of boosting the Briton’s confidence.<\/span><\/p>\nAJ faces crossroads – analysis<\/h3>\n
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