Premier League stars in attendance as Joshua beats Franklin at the O2
Premier League stars Wilfried Zaha, Bukayo Saka and Alex Iwobi all in attendance as Anthony Joshua defeats Jermaine Franklin at the O2 Arena, after the Crystal palace star was forced off the field with an injury against Leicester
- Buykayo Saka and Wilfried Zaha were in attendance at Anthony Joshua’s fight
- The British fighter defeated Jermaine Franklin on points tonight at the O2 Arena
- Saka and Zaha both featured as Arsenal and Crystal Palace both won today
- The Palace winger was forced from the field after sustaining an injury
Premier League football stars Bukayo Saka and Wilfried Zaha were both in attendance at Anthony Joshua’s fight against Jermiane Franklin at the O2 Arena on Saturday.
Everton Star Alexander Iwobi was also in attendance at the fight as Joshua returned to the ring for the first time since his defeat to Oleksandr Usyk last year.
The British fighter defeated Jermaine Franklin by unanimous decision with judges scoring the bout 118-111, 117-111, 117-111 in Joshua’s favour.
The win, in front of a packed out crowd at the O2, will take his fight record to 25 wins for three losses and the footballing stars were treated to a feast of fight action both during and after the fight.
It seemed an easy win for the 33-year-old fighter, who looked in control throughout. But things turned sour after the final bell, with both fighters continuing to brawl inside the ring as their trainers stepped in to split them up.
Bukayo Saka was in attendance at the O2 Arena for Anthony Joshua vs Jermaine Franklin
Wilfried Zaha (right) was also in attendance for the fight, after suffering an injury earlier today
Joshua defeated Franklin by unanimous decision at a packed out O2 Arena in London
Despite the unsavoury scenes, things soon settled, and Joshua was awarded his win, lofting his arm in the air in triumph.
But the British fighter was not the only one who had secured a win today, with both Saka and Zaha playing a part in Arsenal and Crystal Palace’s victories.
Saka was a surprise omission from Mikel Arteta’s starting line up for their 4-1 win against Leeds, the first time he’s started from the bench in 485 days.
In fact, the 21-year-old had been suffering from an illness in midweek and the manager confirmed after the match that was the reason why he had only been able to play 30 minutes, replacing Gabriel Jesus on the 60th minute.
Zaha, meanwhile, was forced off the field during Palace’s 2-1 win against Leicester earlier today.
The winger was replaced just before half-time by Jordan Ayew, with Zaha seen limping from the field holding his leg after being on the receiving end of a hard challenge.
After the game, his manager Roy Hodgson told BBC Radio 5Live: ‘It’s too early to say the extent of the [Zaha’s] injury as we’ve just finished the game but I hope it’s nothing too serious.’
Palace sit 12th in the league and face a tricky run in against all of the bottom sides, as they too look to maintain their standings in the middle order, with the south London side sitting just five points clear of the relegation zone.
Iwobi, meanwhile, will likely be back in action for Everton on Monday as they take on Tottenham at Goodison Park, with hopes that they can climb further away from the relegation zone.
Alex Iwobi (left) was also in attendance at the O2 Arena as Everton play Tottenham on Monday
Zaha (bottom) seemed to suffer a nasty injury during Palace’s 2-1 vs Leicester earlier today
Bukayo Saka was also a surprising omission from Mikel Arteta’s starting line up vs Leeds
But Joshua got back to winning ways tonight claiming his 25th win in what was his 28 fight
Despite failing to record a knock-out moment, it was a good win for Joshu, who once again called out Tyson Fury, with the Gypsy King now without a fight after negotiations between him and Usyk for their much-anticipated fight recently broke down
‘You know me, I try and provide for the fans,’ Joshua said after the fight. ‘I know who the fans want. The ball’s in [Fury’s] court.’
‘I would 100% be honored to compete for the WBC heavyweight championship of the world. I stand here and I say that proudly. That would be an honor.
‘So wherever you are, if you’re listening. You know my management. You know my promoter. We’ve had [dialogue] before so let’s continue and hopefully we can get this on sooner than later. We’re not getting any younger.’
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