Heavyweight contender Jermaine Franklin will be looking for a knockout when he meets former two‑time world champion Anthony Joshua at the 02 Arena in London on April 1. Franklin’s most recent bout, a close 12‑round decision loss to Dillian Whyte at Wembley Arena last November, left many observers convinced the American had done enough to win—or at least earn a draw. Now, facing a far bigger name than Whyte, Franklin says he will not leave his fate to the judges.
“I’m trying to knock Joshua out. I know I’m probably not going to get a fair shake here. That’s our mentality—kill. I don’t want to disrespect anyone, but we’ve already been through that situation,” Franklin told IFL TV. “Honestly, because I won the last fight on points. The CompuBox numbers say I out‑punched him in almost every round, by four rounds, and they gave him the fight. I feel like I’m in a position where I have to knock him out or dominate the whole fight, extremely dominate the whole fight.”
Franklin also complained that his decision loss to Whyte was unfair, noting that most of the judges’ scores favored the Brit. “I watched the Whyte fight two or three times and felt I won. There was a lot of cheating in that damn fight. I kept getting clubbed, low‑blows, headbutts—everything. As soon as I did something, the ref was on me. All I asked for was a fair shake. I know I’m not going to get a fair shake on everything, but at least keep me protected in the ring. That was the biggest thing I took from it, besides thinking I easily won the fight 7‑5,” he said.
British‑Nigerian Joshua is eager to get his career back on track after consecutive defeats to champion Oleksandr Usyk, and he has enlisted world‑renowned trainer Derrick James to help him rebound against Franklin.
Comments are closed for this story.