Anthony Joshua shows off hulking body as he bulks up in gym during training for Jermaine Franklin fight

ANTHONY JOSHUA has shown off his impressive physique as he worked up a sweat ahead of his next fight.

American Jermaine Franklin awaits the Brit on April 1 as he prepares to make his long-awaited return to the ring.

InstagramJoshua looked in a great shape as he updated fans on his progress[/caption]

INSTAGRAMJoshua has not been in the ring since his August rematch defeat to Usyk[/caption]

And the 33-year-old certainly appears to be getting back in the groove of things as he showed off his hulking body to fans.

Joshua can be seen dripping with sweat on his Instagram as he completed another gym session.

He looks to be in great shape ahead of the bout but the star appeared visibly less muscular than before other fights.

The heavyweight previously slimmed down before his must-win rematch against Ruiz in 2019.

The Instagram post has already attracted over 127,000 ‘likes’ as fans anticipated the return of AJ.

In the comments section, one said: “AJ is an incredible fighter and one of the best in his generation.

“Keep working hard champ.”

Another said: “Let’s go champ.”

While another fan added: “Looking less like a body builder. That’s what we like to see. The champ is back – big up AJ!!”

Two defeats to Oleksandr Usyk halted Joshua’s momentum and left him needing to build himself back up again and regain his belts.

For a while last year it appeared he could return to the ring for an epic all-British clash with Tyson Fury before negotiations unravelled.

But he faces a tough task with the 989 Assassin vowing to KO his opponent next month.

He told iFL TV: “I’m trying to knock AJ out. I know I’m probably not going to get no fair shake over here. That’s our mentality, kill.”