Anthony Joshua vs. Jermaine Franklin Betting Tips: Preview and predictions for April heavyweight bout

Former two-time unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua makes his ring return following back-to-back defeats to the unified WBA, IBF, and WBO heavyweight title holder Oleksandr Usyk.

"New Dawn" is a homecoming of sorts for AJ, who hasn't stepped out at the O2 since 2016. This time he's taking on American contender Jermaine Franklin in his inaugural outing with sports streaming platform Dazn.

We've cast our analytical eye over this bout to help provide an informed betting prediction for Saturday's showdown. Continue on to learn about the two bets you should be following...

Under the tutelage of esteemed new trainer Derrick James and without the weight of the crown wearing him down, AJ seeks to kickstart a rejuvenated assault on reclaiming the heavyweight belts he lost two years ago.

The most concerning development since that career-defining win over Vladimir Klitschko back in 2017 was Joshua's proceeding identity crisis. The 33-year-old became enveloped in serving other people's idea of what a champion should be rather than relishing what helped him achieve that status in the first place.

What makes this dance with Jermaine Franklin so exciting for fans and purists alike is AJ may finally have established self-acceptance. A human wrecking machine shouldn't box their way to the top. Instead they should be dismantling their division in devastating fashion.

And despite the serious recent damage inflicted upon heavyweight boxing in regards to the Fury-Usyk saga, a positive result for AJ on Saturday mitigates some of that blowback. Because love him or hate him, an active and challenging Anthony Joshua is good for the division and for the sport.

Given the eye-wateringly short prices on offer for Anthony Joshua to win (1/10) and for him to be victorious by KO/TKO/DQ (3/10), we must dig deeper to find value.

Call us hopeless romantics but we believe AJ will run through his colloquial counterpart. He's been a refreshing presence at media obligations during fight week, basking in the spectacle of his return.

Add to that a world-class training camp out in Texas alongside world champions Errol Spence and Jermell Charlo, there's every reason to subscribe to our theory.

We've seen significant improvements from AJ in both the Ruiz and Usyk rematches which lend credence to him bouncing back in emphatic style here.

Joshua pieced up Charles Martin and Dominic Breazeale in his glory days at the O2, and this unofficial return to the venue would certainly silence the naysayers.

Putting combinations together against Franklin proves fruitful, and this along with pot shots and charged singles is where AJ can enjoy almost unlimited success.

Let's also remind ourselves of how the former Olympian won his first 20 fights by knockout. If he reverts to that signature attacking style which carried him into the position of unified champ, Joshua will bludgeon his opponent inside six rounds.

For something at slightly larger odds, we're backing Joshua to stop Franklin - a man who enters the O2 having fought just twice in three years - between rounds 4 and 6.

The American is a very game fighter and should prove durable enough to stand with AJ for a few rounds. He jabs well and has good variety from body to head evidenced by outlanding Dillian Whyte in last year's 12-rounder.

But there's an argument to be made that his latest fight flattered him. Whyte has been around the block, making his decision to duck and roll in favour of outstriking Franklin an increasingly bizarre one. That being said, Jermaine still came away empty-handed via a majority decision loss, on a night where "The Body Snatcher" was considered well below his best.

It's a case of examining how much wherewithal Franklin has against how fast and how hard Joshua puts it on him. AJ is the far stronger, more aggressive, explosive puncher who will want to come out and do a real number on his opponent.

Judging these measurements by how stationary "989 Assassin" was during his most recent fight, it feels like a matter of when Joshua gets him out of there, not if. Expect AJ to hurt his sitting target within the first few rounds and then complete the job inside 4-6.

This bet has been boosted with William Hill from 5/2 to 3/1. You can find it under the "enhanced odds" block inside their boxing tab.

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