Jermaine Franklin is readying himself to teach a lesson to Ivan Dychko, declaring he will knock him out ahead of their 10-round heavyweight bout on Saturday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The bout will be featured on the prelims of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez-Terence Crawford.
Franklin, 23-2 (15 KOs), is eager to return to the ring, but recent comments from his opponent have added extra motivation for Franklin.
“He said he is going to knock me out, but he doesn’t want to trade punches with me,” Franklin told BoxingScene. “That is the last thing he will do.”
Franklin, a 31-year-old from Saginaw, Michigan, fought Dillian Whyte to a majority decision loss in 2022. Then six months later, he faced Anthony Joshua losing a unanimous decision. Despite the losses, Franklin got familiar with fighting on a big stage, but he also learned a lot about himself and what makes him a difficult opponent for fighters at the highest level of the sport.
“I have learned I am a bit awkward for other heavyweights,” Franklin said. “They have trouble attacking because of my style and how I move around and stuff.”
“I realized that during the Joshua fight or a little before it,” Franklin said. “I think for four rounds I had him shocked and worried, because he couldn’t do what he wanted to do.”
Franklin says in that fight, he lost his focus, citing various reasons. He has since rebounded by winning two fights in Detroit. One was against unbeaten Isaac Munoz Gutierrez, and his last victory came last year against Devin Vargas. For his fight against Dychko, 15-0 (14 KOs), Franklin has had a full camp.
“Honestly, I didn’t know if it was going to happen,” Franklin said. “I knew about this fight six weeks out.”
Dychko, a 35-year-old fighter from Kazakhstan, turned professional in 2017 - two years after Franklin - but hasn’t fought at the same heights as a professional. As an amateur, he holds wins over two-time Olympic gold medalist Bakhodir Jalolov and Efe Ajagba.
“I think he respects me a little bit, but he said he is going to knock me out, so I don’t think he respects me that much,” Franklin said. “I embrace all the punishment, it turns me up. When someone says they are going to do that, I want to see what they can bring.”
