Jermaine Franklin expects to leave the ring on April 1 having just beat the former unified champion, Anthony Joshua.
It will be the night that officially kicks off Joshua’s comeback after two successive losses to Oleksandr Usyk in which he lost his belts and the chance at becoming undisputed in the division.
Franklin is coming off a good showing against Dillian Whyte in which he didn’t get the nod from the judges resulting in the first loss of his career.
He told TalkSPORT that Joshua struggles with smaller opponents.
“I see that he struggles a little bit with smaller guys. He likes to trade at points in the fight, so we’ve been looking at that and looking at different ways we can attack and adjustments we can make to make it more comfortable.”
“I’ll go at him, see what he’s going to do and see if I can make him make mistakes early.”
The 6ft 2in heavyweight gives away 4 inches to Joshua, but clearly believes it plays into his hands rather than the Brit’s. Indeed, the two men Joshua has lost to are Andy Ruiz Jr – 6ft 2in – and Usyk 6ft 3in.
Franklin’s prediction is a stoppage or ‘brutal domination.’
“If it’s not a knockout then it will be a domination brutally.”
His confidence is admirable, but it would be a huge upset according to the bookies and most fans. Joshua is expected to win the bout, with many focusing more on how he does it rather that if he can.
It’s the first chance for fans and potential opponents to see his work with new trainer, Derrick James, in action, and there’s intrigue surrounding what the Texan can add to ‘AJ’s game.
Many believe an impressive showing is necessary should he want to deliver on his plans to become a three-time heavyweight champion.