BREAKING: Anthony Joshua beats American opponent Franklin

British-Nigerian heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua has won his heavyweight fight against American Jermaine Franklin by unanimous decision at London’s O2 Arena.

The two-time world champion was fighting without a title on the line for the first time since 2015. Joshua, 33, went into the bout having lost three of his previous five contests, which included consecutive losses to Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk.

The judges scored the London bout 118-111, 117-111 and 117-111 in favour of the home favourite after a laboured display.

Joshua regularly landed with his left jab and caught Franklin on a number of occasions with his powerful right but the American heavyweight stood firm.

There was a bizarre moment in the 12th round when Joshua pushed his head into Franklin sparking an angry reaction from Lorenzo Adams, the strength and conditioning coach of the United States boxer, who pushed the Finchley fighter.

It was quickly settled and Joshua’s hand was lifted to earn him a 25th professional win.

Credit: Sky Sport