Anthony Joshua poses on the red carpet alongside Love Islanders & pop stars ahead of comeback fight vs Jermaine Franklin
ANTHONY JOSHUA got the red carpet treatment to kickstart the week of his comeback fight.
The stars came out in support of AJ, who returns on Saturday at the O2 Arena against Jermaine Franklin.
Joshua, 33, came face to face with American Franklin, 29, just days before he looks to revive his career in the must-win comeback bout.
The two-time heavyweight champion posed for pictures and answered questions ahead of his return.
Love Islanders Luca Bish, Liam Reardon and Olivia Hawkins all took to the carpet for snaps.
And pop stars Talia Storm and Bugzy Malone – a huge fight fan – were also snapped at the event.
Boxers Maisey Rose Courtney and Skye Nicolson looked glamorous on the carpet while cruiserweight contender Cheavon Clarke also made an appearance.
Fresh off winning The Apprentice, former amateur boxer and entrepreneur Marnie Swindells posed in all pink.
Joshua will enter the ring this weekend knowing it could be his last big fight.
He lost and failed to regain his WBA, IBF and WBO world titles in a pair of defeats to Oleksandr Usyk, 36.
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Joshua, working under new trainer Derrick James, needs a polished win to get back in the mix with top heavyweights like Tyson Fury, 34.
And he agrees with promoter Eddie Hearn that this is his last chance of a rebuild.
Joshua said: “I think Eddie’s right. Because how long can this run go on for, three or four years? And you know how quick time goes.
“We’re saying this now and we can look back in two years, three years, and be like f***ing hell where’s the time gone?
“So, if I was going to do another run after this, you’re talking about fighting into my forties and I believe boxing is a young man’s sport.
“It takes a real solid character like Bernard Hopkins, George Foreman, Wladimir Klitschko or Alexander Povetkin to go on into their forties.
“But this is a run I want to make successful and then, hopefully, go out on top.”