Former two-time heavyweight boxing champion, Anthony Joshua, has hinted that he might retire from the sport if he loses to Jermaine Franklin on Saturday at the O2 Arena.

Joshua is set to return to the ring for the first time since his second loss to Oleksandr Usyk in August of 2022 where he failed to reclaim the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles he had lost to the Ukrainian in 2021. 

Just like Joshua, Franklin who lost his last fight against DIIlian Whyte at the Wembley Arena in London in November 2022 will be hoping to return to winning ways, a premise that’s bound to increase the profile of the fight. 

Speaking ahead of the fight, Joshua who believes he has all it takes to win the fight has stated that he’ll retire if he loses the fight. 

“I will retire if I lose. I’m not here to battle people. If people want me to retire I will retire,” he told MailOnline. “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.

“It (pressure) comes with the business and it comes with the territory, I know that. I know when I am retired, I am gonna be chilling. I’m gonna be thinking f**k everyone. I am done. You lot put so much pressure on me so when I am done, the chains are going to be gone. I am going to be laughing and loving life.”