Eddie Hearn sends a message to "haters" of Anthony Joshua versus Jermaine Franklin

Eddie Hearn doesn't understand the criticism behind Anthony Joshua's next fight.

'AJ' has been out of action since his decision defeat against Oleksandr Usyk last August. While the Brit was praised for making adjustments since his initial loss to 'The Cat', it was still his second defeat in a row and third in his last five contests.

With that in mind, the former champion enters this year in dire need of a reset. Joshua has already started that process by leaving his trainer in favor of new head coach, Derrick James. Already one of the top coaches in the sport, he's currently the trainer for Errol Spence Jr.

The first fight as part of Anthony Joshua's comeback tour will come in April against Jermaine Franklin. '989 Assassin' is coming off a defeat to Dillian Whyte late last year, which makes this booking a must-win for both.

Nonetheless, Eddie Hearn has apparently received some hate for the booking, as he noted on The DAZN Boxing Show. There, the head of Matchroom Boxing hit back at the hate, stating:

“The haters go, ‘Jermaine Franklin? Oh, what a [bad] fight.' At the same time, those same haters say that Jermaine Franklin won the fight against Dillian Whyte by three or four rounds. F--- me! You can’t have it [both ways]. So what? So, he didn’t win that fight? That wasn’t a great performance by Jermaine Franklin? Apparently, Anthony Joshua has no confidence. He’s a shot fighter. He’s finished, but he’s coming off those defeats to fight a guy that you said just beat Dillian Whyte by three or four rounds."

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Jermaine Franklin ready for an upset against Anthony Joshua

Jermaine Franklin believes Anthony Joshua's time is up, and his time is now.

'989 Assassin' is coming off a defeat to Dillian Whyte last year, with the loss being the first of his career. However, the fight was extremely close, and many fans and pundits stated that 'The Body Snatcher' didn't deserve the win.

However, the former champion did move one step closer to a rematch with 'AJ'. Prior to the bout, Whyte stated that he would love to face Joshua again, whom he lost to in 2015. Eddie Hearn later confirmed the two could fight in July.

However, Jermaine Franklin has other plans. In a press release promoting the fight against Anthony Joshua, he stated:

“I’m ready to show the world why it’s time for me to take my place at the top of the heavyweight division. Joshua had his time. It’s my time to shock the world!"

See his comments below: