Eddie Hearn, the promoter of Anthony Joshua, has acknowledged that the former heavyweight champion has lost some of his appeals as a box office draw but remains optimistic that he can reclaim his status as the best boxer in the division.

The 33-year-old fighter, who has won two world titles, is still reeling from his back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk from Ukraine. However, Joshua is set to return to the ring on April 1st in a crucial match against Jermaine Franklin at the O2 Arena, hoping to get back on track towards a world title.

Despite previously selling out stadiums at Wembley and Tottenham, thousands of tickets still need to be sold for Joshua's upcoming fight in the 20,000-capacity East London arena. Hearn believes that Joshua's recent defeats have had a commercial impact, affecting his ability to sell out arenas.

Nonetheless, Hearn remains positive about Joshua's future, confident the fighter can regain his status as a top draw in the sport.

He told ESBR Boxing, “He’s coming off two defeats, so of course, you’re not going to be the same size commercially as you were when you beat Wladimir Klitschko in front of 90,000.

“But he’s a great fighter; he’s one of the best heavyweights in the world. I feel he can still be the best heavyweight in the world.”

However, the British-Nigerian is looking to get back into title contention and is starting things off with a tasty clash against American Franklin, who lost a narrow decision to Dillian Whyte at the tail-end of 2022. Still, most thought he did enough to win the fight.