Anthony Joshua Says He'll Retire from Boxing If He Loses Fight to Jermaine Franklin

Anthony Joshua raised the stakes for Saturday's encounter with Jermaine Franklin.

The 33-year-old told the MailOnline's Charlotte Daly he'll retire if he can't get the job done against Franklin.

"I'm not here to battle people," he said. "If people want me to retire, I will retire. I'm not going to fight if people don't want me to. It's not even about the money. It's about the competitor in you. That's what's important."

Plenty of fans will be skeptical whether Joshua lives up to his word in the event he suffers his third straight defeat. It's impossible to count the number of boxers who have floated the idea of retiring or actually went into retirement...only to return to the ring.

This isn't even the first time Joshua's future was one storyline leading up to a fight.

His comments do, however, illustrate how important Saturday's matchup could be.

Fighting Franklin is part of a bigger plan to help Joshua solidify his status within the heavyweight division and eventually work his way toward at least one more big-money event.

Joshua's trainer, Eddie Roach, acknowledged to Daly his star's "world title ambitions are in tatters if he loses this fight" and added that "defeat would be devastating."

Not only would it diminish Joshua's chances of being a heavyweight champion again, but he'd probably have a hard time securing a long-awaited bout with Deontay Wilder or Tyson Fury. Joshua vs. Wilder or Joshua vs. Fury wouldn't be as much of a draw compared to a few years ago if fans sense he's on the way down.

No matter what happens, this weekend likely won't be the last time Joshua puts on a pair of boxing gloves. But he might have a lot riding on the outcome.