Heavyweight Anthony Joshua’s comeback fight will take place on April 1 at the O2 Arena in London, promoter Eddie Hearn has announced.
A press conference will be held next week to officially announce the fight.
“It’s a really tough fight with a lot of pressure to come back because if AJ doesn’t win this fight then we have a major problem,” Hearn said.
“I believe you will see a statement from a guy who is very dangerous, very motivated to become a three-time world heavyweight champion.”
Joshua has lost his last two fightsboth to unified world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.
The Watford fighter is a two-time world heavyweight champion and has 24 wins, as well as three losses.
Matchroom promoter Hearn dismissed the suggestion that the 29-year-old Franklin was an easy opponent for Joshua.
Franklin was undefeated before losing to Whyte and was unhappy with the score of that fight, believing he had won the contest.
“There are so many contradictions: ‘Anthony Joshua is finished, mentally he’s down, but he’ll knock out Jermaine Franklin in three rounds,'” Hearn told 5 Live Boxing in New York.
“The same people who say Jermaine Franklin beat Dillian Whyte but he’s a terrible opponent for Anthony Joshua, in a comeback fight after two losses to the pound-for-pound number one.
“What this guy has done from a resume standpoint is amazing.
“And I’m telling you now, this guy – still a top three heavyweight, capable of winning back his world heavyweight title.”
