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• Joshua v Franklin preview: Former knockout kings to go the distance with careers at crossroads

  Anthony Joshua's return to the ring on Saturday to face Jermaine Franklin is a bout where both have plenty to prove.

  Back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk saw Joshua lose his heavyweight titles, while leaving him with three defeats from his last five bouts.

  Franklin, meanwhile, was undefeated and on a meteoric trajectory with 21 victories in a row, including 14 knockouts, before his unbeaten run came to a close at the hands of Dillian Whyte in November at Wembley – his first test outside the United States.

  With Joshua in need of a win to stop the rot and Franklin looking to show his worth at this level, their clash at the O2 Arena is one where defeat does not bear thinking about.

  Contender or pretender?

  Dominating the heavyweight scene for years, the AJ of old was completely lost in the two defeats to Usyk which, although both went the distance, were bouts where the British Olympian never truly looked capable of victory.

  The 2019 defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr. was a shock, requiring Joshua to come back six months later to reclaim his belts, but the same cannot be said about Usyk, who was on top throughout almost every round across the pair's two meetings.

  Now, the big question is whether the downward spiral will continue, or whether Joshua can force his way back into contention with the heavyweight elite in a period of great change, with the old guard not getting any younger and fresh blood creeping into contention.

  For now, Joshua remains in the conversation. Discussions for a fiercely-anticipated all-British bout against Tyson Fury fell flat but Joshua has been touted for a meeting with Deontay Wilder later this year.

  Defeat to Franklin, however, would hit hard and would see Joshua's recent record extend to four losses in six fights, not the sort of calibre required to remain at the top of the game, with some already suggesting that such a loss should result in AJ hanging up his gloves, including the man himself.

  Franklin's rise

  For many, facing Whyte is seen as an entry test into the heavyweight elite, with the Brit having faced the majority of the division's top fighters – including Fury, Joshua, Derek Chisora and Alexander Povetkin.

  Defeat to Whyte in November was a blow for Franklin, a majority decision ending the 21-fight win streak, and he is now looking to prove his credentials outside the US by taking a significant scalp in the form of Joshua.

  What Franklin lacks in experience, he certainly makes up for in confidence, declaring he will either secure a knockout win or "brutally" dominate the fight.

  "If it's not a knockout then it will be a domination brutally. I'll go at him, see what he's going to do and see if I can make him make mistakes early," he said.

  Coming out the blocks flying may be the best approach for Franklin, quickly putting the pressure on Joshua and silencing the home crowd, particularly with AJ unable to muster a response in similar circumstances against Usyk.

  Pound for pound

  Though Joshua boasts height and reach advantage over Franklin, that may not provide a significant indication on the match up given AJ had similar upper hands over Usyk, and a bout may well go the full distance.

  Four of Joshua's last seven fights have gone 12 rounds, including three of the last four, and the knockout dominating AJ of old seems to have been lost in the latter years of his career.

  Franklin is in a similar position, with just one knockout victory in his last six – having had 14 KO wins in his first 16 professional fights.

  Prediction: Joshua wins on points

• Olympics chief Bach labels politicians 'deplorable' over calls to deny Russian athletes right to compete

  Olympics chief Thomas Bach has attacked politicians pushing for Russian and Belarusian athletes to be prevented from returning to international sport, saying their attitude is "deplorable".

  International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Bach launched a tirade on Thursday at the "negative reactions" to plans to allow competitors from Russia and Belarus to compete in global sporting events as neutral individual athletes.

  There has been no final decision taken yet on whether those athletes can take part in next year's Olympics; however, there will be potential pathways for them to qualify for the Games, and it could yet mean there are Russians and Belarusians taking part in the Paris Games while war continues in Ukraine.

  Government figures in the UK, Germany and beyond have expressed opposition to such athletes being allowed to take part, although IOC guidance on Tuesday potentially opened that door.

  For those politicians there was a fierce rebuke from Bach.

  Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Bach said: "Today the IOC executive board discussed the reactions to our recommendations issued on Tuesday.

  "There we have taken note of some negative reactions by some European governments in particular. I can only reaffirm there what the Olympic movement and all the stakeholders have made very clear before: that it is deplorable to see some governments do not want to respect the majority within the Olympic movement and of all stakeholders, nor the autonomy of sport which they are praising and requesting from other countries in countless speeches, UN resolutions, EU declarations, and at every other opportunity.

  "It is deplorable that these governments do not address the question of double standards with which we have been confronted in our consultations.

  "We have not seen a single comment from them about their attitude towards the participation of athletes whose countries are involved in the other 70 wars and armed conflicts in the world.

  "It is even more deplorable that they grossly neglect the very clear statement of the two special rapporteurs from the UN human rights council. While in other issues they are always highlighting their firm request for the respect of human rights

  "Discussions and reactions from the Olympic movement are making it very clear, that these government interventions have strengthened the unity of the Olympic movement.

  "All stakeholders make it very clear again: it cannot be up to the governments to decide which athletes can participate in which competition. This would be the end of world sport as we know it today.

  "The Olympic movement stakeholders are very concerned about this politicisation of sport. They are very concerned about the attitude of these governments wanting to take over the participation and the decision of participation in sport events in their country or even in other countries."

  Bach pointed to a letter from the presidents of the five regional groupings on national Olympic committees, representing all 206 NOCs, in which he said it was stated that "international sports competitions welcome athletes from all countries".

  Asked why it was only athletes from Russia and Belarus that were being asked to compete as neutrals, rather than those from other conflicts and wars to which he referred, Bach said that was "because this was a blatant violation of the Olympic truce and happened between the Olympic Winter Games and the Paralympic Games".

  That was a reference to the timing of the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

  With regard to Germany and the UK, Bach said: "Both NOCs have made it very clear they do not boycott, and we will not punish athletes or an NOC for the position of their governments.

  "We will always make every effort not to punish athletes for misbehaviour of their national governments."

  Bach, who is German, said "a vast, vast majority of all stakeholders of the Olympic movement" supported the IOC putting in place conditions for the possible return to international competition of athletes with Russian and Belarusian passports.

  He added: "I can only reaffirm the entire Olympic movement strongly stands by its values and by its mission to unite the world in a peaceful competition."

• Fury and Joshua's 'biggest heavyweight match in the world' tipped for 2023 by Top Rank president

  Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua's long-awaited bout could finally come this year and would be the "biggest heavyweight match in the world".

  That was the message on Wednesday from Top Rank president Todd DuBoef, a key member of Fury's United States promotional team who wants to see the all-British clash in 2023.

  Joshua faces Jermaine Franklin on Saturday night at the O2 Arena in London, though speculation continues to swirl the former could face Fury after his undisputed bout with Oleksandr Usyk fell through.

  Fury's promoter Hearn added fuel to the fire after expressing hopes of reviving negotiations with the entourage of Joshua, who DuBoef suggested would deserve a headline fight if he defeats Franklin.

  "I've always said that that is the fight," DuBoef told Sky Sports.

  "Both of them have great brands, huge fanbases, and fortunately both of them come from the UK, so it's wonderful that your country has been able to produce these incredible prizefighters.

  "That fight is always there, and, to me, is the biggest heavyweight match in the world, because of the personalities and the stories."

   

  Both camps have pointed the finger at each other after an April 29 meeting at Wembley between Fury and Usyk failed to come to fruition.

  "The frustration is for all of us," DuBoef added on that bout. "All of us are frustrated, right?

  "And I think timing has been an issue with trying to make this fight happen. I'm not going to say never, but I think we all want to see this unification, and we all have hope.

  "But there was a timeline that was set up, and it just got ahead of everybody and it became very tight.

  "Fortunately, there's always hope and an opportunity because I think both fighters really know that this is what the sport wants, and what they want."

  While holding out hopes over the mouthwatering fight between Fury and Usyk, DuBoef says his client could even face both the Ukrainian and Joshua before the end of the year.

  "That's the way we move," he continued. "We move with immediacy, and we move trying to figure out and get rationality to a situation.

  "I think we've always wanted this fight for Fury and Joshua, and we've wanted to see Fury and Usyk, and Tyson has wanted that, and the Warrens, and we've worked hard in getting this done.

  "I would love to see, and you've just laid out a great 2023 for the Fury side, if we could do Usyk and Joshua this year, it would be fantastic."