“So many people talking trash about me and my skills. But I see no one is questioning my heart. That is what wins fights. April 1st I will show you,” heavyweight boxer Jermaine Franklin posted on his Twitter page earlier this week.
The 29 year old Saginaw native who has donned himself the “989 Assassin” will match up against Anthony Joshua (UK), a 33 year old two-time former unified world heavyweight champion on April 1 at the O2 venue in London.
It won’t be Franklin’s first visit to the area. Franklin traveled to London last November for his bout with WBC interim heavyweight champion Dillian Whyte. Although Whyte won by a majority decision, the decision became very controversial as many scored the fight a draw, some even scoring Franklin slightly higher. Franklin himself said in a press conference on February 9 that he felt he won the match with a score of 7-5.
The press conference hosted by Matchroom Boxing live from London was the first time Jermaine Franklin and Anthony Joshua went head-to-head.
A hometown favorite, the press conference opened with Joshua’s influence on British boxing.
“Ahead of a very special, important day for British boxing, the return of Anthony Joshua… perhaps the most important chapter so far in his unbelievable career, 10 years this year since the professional debut against Emanuele Leo,” said British sports promoter and chairman of Matchroom Sports, Eddie Hearn. “We know British boxing wouldn’t be in the position it was without the job that Anthony Joshua has done for British boxing.”
Franklin sat stoic and seemingly unfazed as praises were hurled at Joshua. Then, Dmitry Salita, promoter of Franklin had the opportunity to make his own claims.
“To us, the fact that we got this fight shows that Jermaine is the unofficial winner of the fight against Dillian Whyte. In that fight Jermaine showed that he can perform thousands of miles away from home in front of hostile fans and showed that he can win a fight where he is not the favorite. April 1st is Fool’s Day in the United States. I don’t know if in the UK it is, so the critics are going to be fooled and Jermaine is going to be the winner.”
When asked about his belief that he could beat Whyte despite Whyte’s impressive resume, Jermaine pulled no punches. “I got the most confidence. I believe I could beat anybody. You know there’s never a doubt in my mind. If you doubt yourself you’re in the wrong sport. I got the confidence for me to put this victory out… I got the will, I got the heart for it so I’m ready to go to war as always.”
This will be the first time since his match with Whyte in December 2015 that Joshua has fought without a world title on the line, however he says his focus remains the same. “I’m locked in. It’s a serious fight, good opponent. I respect all my opponents so if you had the belt I’ll take him the same way and if he doesn’t have the belt I’ve got to take him the same way.”
Later, Joshua compliments Franklin’s abilities. “You know people feel like boxing’s based on popularity but it’s based on skill and talent and he’s got a lot of talent and a lot of skill and he’s building himself up the ranks so credit to him…. It’s going to be a great fight,” he says.
Joshua claims there is no added pressure on this fight but many boxing enthusiasts disagree as a win against Franklin will likely revive talks of the long awaited rematch with Dillian Whyte and possible world title shot against Tyson Fury.
For Franklin, his promoter does not hide the importance of April 1, agreeing with Eddie Hearns that the rewards of victory are huge. “Incredible. A true story of why boxing is so great because in one night you can change your life and Jermaine has been working for this for a long time,” he says.
JOSHUA VS. FRANKLIN FIGHT DATE, START TIME
- Date: Saturday, April 1
- Time: 7 p.m. GMT / 2 p.m. ET
- Main event ringwalks (approx): 10 p.m. GMT / 5 p.m. ET
The event is set to get underway at 7 p.m. GMT / 2 p.m. ET with the main event ringwalks scheduled for 10 p.m. GMT / 5 p.m. ET. These timings could change due to the length of the undercard fights.
The card will stream live on DAZN in over 200 countries across the globe. You can sign up for a subscription here.
You can watch the Feb 9 press conference here.
