Joshua vs Franklin: More than four in five bets placed with Ladbrokes AGAINST AJ
ANTHONY JOSHUA goes into his bout with Jermaine Franklin as an overwhelming odds-on shot.
But bookmakers Ladbrokes report a whopping 85% of all bets on the contest have gone AGAINST the British heavyweight.
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Joshua makes his return to the ring for the first time since defeat in Saudi Arabia to Oleksandr Usyk in August.
It looked for a while that the 33-year-old would get to try and bounce back from that loss with a highly-anticipated fight with Tyson Fury at the end of last year.
But those negotiations broke down and now Joshua is looking to improve his recent record of three defeats in his last five contests.
And he looks likely to do just that at odds of 1/10 with Ladbrokes to get the win.
Franklin is a 6/1 shot, with the draw priced up at 25/1.
However, boxing punters have SWERVED backing the odds-on former champ, with 85.2% of all punts at Ladbrokes placed on a Franklin win or draw.
In fact, just 14.8% of all bets placed on the showdown have backed AJ to reign victorious.
Joshua has confessed he would RETIRE from the sport if he suffered a defeat to Franklin on Saturday.
Joshua vs Franklin
Ladbrokes update
Odds
- Joshua to win | 1/10
- Draw | 25/1
- Franklin | 6/1
Bets placed
- Joshua to win | 14.8%
- Franklin to win / draw | 85.2%
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But the American disagreed, insisting he wasn’t taking part at the O2 to simply make up the numbers.
He said: He said: “A lot of people are painting the picture that if AJ loses this might be the end of his career and if I win this might project my career.
“I don’t buy that if I beat him he has to retire because if I say that it means I’m a bum.
“The world is saying that basically if AJ loses to a guy like me then he’s done but I don’t feel like that’s true.
“AJ can still beat a lot of guys, I just feel confident enough that I can win. I feel like the world is still sleeping on me.”
On how the punters have bet so far, Alex Apati of Ladbrokes said: “The odds might strongly favour Anthony Joshua this weekend, but the latest figures tell a completely different story, with punters seemingly not touching him with a barge pole.”
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