Anthony Joshua leaves Frank Warren highly unimpressed with decision win

Anthony Joshua vs. Jermaine Franklin didn't impress Frank Warren.

'AJ' made his return to London over the weekend for the first time since his loss to Oleksandr Usyk last August. In this matchup, the former two-time champion faced the relatively unknown '989 Assassin'. Franklin's most high-profile performance was a decision defeat to Dillian Whyte late last year.

While the British star entered the contest with a lot of confidence thanks to new trainer Derrick James, it didn't last. Joshua ultimately picked up the win by unanimous decision, but few were impressed. There wasn't much activity in the contest, with most coming in an after-the-bell scuffle.

Following the win, Anthony Joshua attempted to quiet critics by stating that if Mike Tyson could go the distance, so could he. However, the head of Queensbury Promotions, Frank Warren, seems to disagree with him.

In a recent op-ed with BoxingScene, Tyson Fury's longtime promoter discussed Joshua's return. There, Warren seemed to indicate that he was less than impressed with the performance.

"On the evidence of what I saw from The O2, the days of Joshua reigning supreme over the heavy mob are pretty much over...It wasn’t the worst performance, but the boxing world wanted to see Joshua throw off the shackles of self-doubt and recapture his former glories. Instead he now seems mired in caution over fear of either being chinned or gassing out, which tends to have the same end result.

See his comments below:

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Anthony Joshua vs. Jermaine Franklin: Who will 'AJ' fight next?

With Frank Warren's comments, it seems that Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury absolutely won't happen next.

'AJ' called to face 'The Gypsy King' after his win over Jermaine Franklin on Saturday, but that fight remains a longshot. Given Warren's recent comments discussing the Brit's performance, don't expect that fight soon.

However, that was likely the case before the event as well. While Joshua has long shown interest in facing Fury in the summer, Eddie Hearn has long had a different fight in mind. The fight was a rematch with Dillian Whyte.

Anthony Joshua previously knocked out 'The Body Snatcher' when the two met in December 2015. Earlier this year, the head of Matchroom Boxing stated that they had planned out the former champion's 2023 already.

The plan was a clash with Jermaine Franklin, a rematch with Dillian Whyte, and a long-awaited fight with Tyson Fury. As of now, Joshua is almost to stage two of that plan.