Jermaine Franklin isn’t concerned about Anthony Joshua adding 10-plus pounds of muscle to an already chiseled physique.
The former IBF, IBO, WBA and WBO heavyweight champion came in at a career-high 255 pounds Friday for their 12-round fight Saturday night at O2 Arena in London. Joshua stepped on the British Boxing Board of Control’s scale 10½ pounds heavier than he was when he weighed in at 244½ pounds for his 12-round, split-decision defeat to Oleksandr Usyk in their championship rematch August 20 at Jeddah Superdome in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Franklin, meanwhile, officially weighed 22¼ pounds less than he was when he got on the scale for his last fight just four months ago. The 29-year-old Franklin weighed 234¾ pounds, significantly less than the 257 he weighed the day before he lost a 12-round majority decision to Dillian Whyte on November 26 at OVO Arena Wembley in London.
The 6-foot-6 Joshua has won 81 percent of his professional bouts by knockout (24-3, 22 KOs), but Franklin isn’t worried that he’ll hit even harder now that he has packed more muscle on his frame.
“Well, you know, he probably bulked up a little bit,” Franklin told DAZN’s Ade Oladipo after the weigh-in. “But, you know, we ready for whatever. We got a chin of steel, so I’m not worried too much about power. He still gotta be able to touch me wit it.”
Whereas Joshua came in heavier than ever, the 6-foot-2 Franklin felt he needed to lose weight to become more effective. Franklin and his wife started eating better, completely committed to a lifestyle change and it showed when he weighed in for a fight DAZN will stream worldwide (7 p.m. BST; 2 p.m. EDT).
“We just approached this fight with a whole new attitude, you know, whole new demeanor, whole new strategy,” Franklin said. “You know, we worked very hard this camp, so, you know, we just put the game plan to pan Saturday.”
The Saginaw, Michigan native realizes, of course, that he will face a tall task Saturday, literally and figuratively. Franklin feels he deserved to defeat London’s Whyte on the cards, but the best he did was a draw on one scorecard (115-115, 116-112, 116-112).
Joshua is a better fighter and a bigger star, who will be strongly supported by a capacity crowd in excess of 17,000.
“I’m comfortable,” Franklin said. “This is what I do. I love the sport. I love to fight. You know, in the ring it’s just me and him. So, you know, it’s a big arena, I’m gonna love to hear the roar of the fans and everything. But, you know, inside that ring it’s only me and him.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
