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Dillian Whyte Edges Out Jermaine Franklin In Close Back And Forth Battle

Written by Kerr Ferguson on 26th November 2022.

Dillian Whyte vs Jermaine Franklin

Dillian Whyte took the victory in his comeback fight via majority decision in a close contest with American heavyweight, Jermaine Franklin.

The familiar riff of ACDC’s Back in Black echoed throughout the arena as Whyte jogged to the ring, clearly eager to get his comeback fight out the way and be rubbing elbows with the title contenders once more. Franklin has showed little emotion throughout fight week, but his mood in the ring seemed different still – either calm or nervous, only time would tell.

The American threw a combination early on in round one before Whyte started flicking out a jab to the body. Neither man was in a rush, but Franklin’s speed on the counter was impressive. In an uneventful three minutes, the away fighter likely took it and proved he wasn’t out of his depth in London.

The second saw Whyte wait for his opponent to come into range, taking those opportunities to throw heavier shots with limited success. Franklin’s fast hands impressed again. Big shots were exchanged in the last 20 seconds, but the contest remained slow paced.

‘The 989 Assassin’ started the third by beating Whyte to the punch, although nothing really put a dent in the man from Brixton. Whyte continued to work the body, straying low on more than a couple of occasions.

In the fourth, it was really time for Whyte to start demanding the respect of Franklin, but the round came and went without much of note. The fifth saw ‘The Bodysnatcher’ continue to walk through whatever the American was throwing. Franklin took a brief pause after another shot landed low.

New trainer, Buddy McGirt, was clear and concise in his instruction between rounds, and Whyte seemed as responsive as he ever has in a coach / fighter relationship. During the rounds, he could be heard barking his orders to make sure they stuck.

Many fans have enjoyed bringing up Whyte’s vulnerability to uppercuts, but he landed plenty of his own throughout the fight. Franklin, at the halfway stage, was as game as ever and continued to produce the sharper work – Whyte smiled back at him when he landed a big right hand, but there was no doubt he felt it.

Franklin, the heavier man by 20lb, took a bit of punishment from Whyte in the seventh. It wasn’t a clear round either way, but was the man from America starting to feel the pace? This contest marks his first 12 rounds, but the eighth and ninth proved that he was handling it well. In fact, he threw the first shot of the fight that looked like it hurt Whyte – a big overhand right.

The tenth saw both men slow down considerably, although Whyte landed a huge right hand at the bell. In the first eleventh round of his career, Franklin fought like a man who knew a win was within grasp. Before the final round, McGirt told his fighter not to search for the knockout, but to win points.

Both men knew it was close, and they entertained the crowd with a big back and forth to see in the final bell. Whyte wobbled his man, finally, with a huge left hook similar to the ones that have been replayed over and over throughout fight week. He stood off him as Franklin bounced off the ropes before the referee indicated it wasn’t over, but it was too late to secure the stoppage.

It was a laboured contest, and not the emphatic return to action that Whyte would have wanted. He took it via majority decision, official scores being 115-115, 116-112, and 116-112. Many would’ve called a draw fair, a lot would have had Franklin winning, and most will feel that 116-112 was farfetched. Post-fight, Whyte said he feels a bit stuck between styles – which is understandable.

Anthony Joshua watched on, and will likely be fancying in his chances in this rematch that has been being hyped for a while now.