ANTHONY JOSHUA was brutally honest as he admitted his motivation for fighting Jermaine Franklin.
AJ faces the American heavyweight on April 1 at London’s O2 as he builds towards an all-British summer showdown with Dillian Whyte.
Anthony Joshua with April opponent Jermaine FranklinRex
AlamyJoshua and Franklin will go toe-to-toe in April[/caption]
Asked about his motivation to carry on fighting after losing his WBA, IBF and WBO world titles to Oleksandr Usyk, AJ admitted: “Money, money, money, I like making money. Straight up.
“I do this because I am good at it and I hustle hard and — when it is all said and done — no-one will care about me anymore.”
The 33-year-old quit broadcasting giants Sky in June to sign a mega £100million five-year deal with streaming app DAZN.
His scrap with Franklin, 29, is not pay per view but DAZN’s monthly subscriptions have recently jumped from £7.99 to £19.99.
AJ, who became a DAZN shareholder as part of his deal, added: “This is a prize-fighting sport.
“I have been broke and my family has been broke and I know what that s*** means.
“So I need to make the most of it while I am here.”
Joshua also insisted that he’s still “fresh” despite consecutive losses to Usyk.
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He said: “I’m not war torn, I still feel fresh.”
Joshua continued: “Locked in. It’s a serious opponent, I respect all my opponents.
“He’s coming to fight. That will make me keep my feet on the ground.
“Throughout my career this is probably the most seriously I’ve taken it.
“Everything I’ve been through, positive, negative I’m using it to fuel this camp.”