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Jermaine Franklin Jr. Wants To Win At All Costs | Canelo vs Crawford
Heavyweight Jermaine Franklin Jr. Wants To Get Back To The Top Of The Heavyweight Heap With A Win In Las Vegas
Jermaine Franklin Jr. is no stranger to big fights, having faced Anthony Joshua in London’s O2 Arena and Dillian Whyte in Wembley Arena. But 60,000 plus in Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium? That’s a bit different. Or is it?
“The crowd doesn't really matter,” said Franklin, who faces unbeaten Ivan Dychko on the Canelo Alvarez-Terence Crawford undercard this Saturday. “Once I'm in the ring, all I'm going to see is Ivan and that will be my focus.”
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He’s going to see a lot of Kazakhstan’s Dychko, who stands at 6-foot-9. The 6-foot-3 Franklin is no small man himself, but a six-inch height deficit can be an issue.
Jermaine Franklin Jr. Fight Week Interview | Canelo vs Crawford
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Jermaine Franklin Jr. Fight Week Interview | Canelo vs Crawford
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“He is tall,” laughs Franklin. “But I see a guy who is well trained and wants the same thing I want, and I can't let him have it. That's a win.”
And having been in the ring with several taller fighters over the course of a career that began more than a decade ago, this looms as just another night in the office for the native of Saginaw, Michigan.
“I have pretty much fought tall fighters in my career,” he said. “The only difficulties are if I don't stick with my game plan and do what I need to do in the ring.”
When Franklin sticks to the game plan, he’s a fighter with potential to make some noise among the big men. And while management issues and a pair of losses to the aforementioned Joshua and Whyte have slowed his progress, at 31, he’s still young enough for the division to make a title run. But in his first fight since May of 2024, he’s got to make a statement, and he believes he will.
“I put myself back in the discussion with the top heavyweights,” said Franklin when asked this platform he’s fighting on does for his career. “I believe I'm the best in the world. I have to show the world why I believe that. It starts with a win against Ivan.”
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If it sounds like Franklin has all his ducks in a row to deliver the performance he wants to, that’s accurate, but sadly, his father passed away on August 29, sending him into the ring with a heavy heart. But he believes carrying on with the fight is what dad would have wanted, so he’s in Vegas and ready to take care of business.
“I'm still young and still have a lot of fights in me,” said Franklin, who is currently on a two-fight winning streak. “I want the belts. I want to show fans I'm the best at what I do. I'm not ducking anyone.”
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Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case on the other side of the equation, as Franklin hasn’t had the easiest time finding fights.
“It's been hard in some ways,” he admits. “A Lot of guys don't want to fight me for one reason or another. I have never been knocked down or out. So other fighters can be intimidated by that. You have seen me come to fight every time I step in the ring. I'm no pushover.”
No, he’s not. He’s also no underdog against the two-time Olympian. But when the bell rings, the odds mean nothing, and he knows it.
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“I have to stay with my game plan,” Franklin said. “I have to calm down and focus on the task at hand. That is win at all costs.”
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