In 2020, Saginaw native Jermaine Franklin filed for bankruptcy. Three years later, he entered into the ring at the O2 arena in London to a nearly packed to capacity crowd, guaranteeing him an earning of £800,000 ($987,600), according to Sportslens.
It’s hard to believe that Franklin got the call to fight UK’s Anthony Joshua, a 33 year old two-time former unified world heavyweight champion, but it was another phone call he received while working a 12 hour shift with a local roofing company that would change the trajectory of his life and boxing career.
Like most sports, the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on the world of boxing with fights being canceled or postponed indefinitely. However, unlike many team sports whose players receive guaranteed contracts and financial stability, the average boxer typically only gets paid when he enters into the ring.
With no fights being held, and no money being made, Franklin was forced to put his boxing career on hold and started working with a local roofing company. He was mid-shift when he got a call to fight WBC interim heavyweight champion Dillian Whyte in November 2022. He quit his job on the spot. Although Franklin lost by a controversial decision, the match propelled him out of financial hardship and put him on the international radar.
Fast forward to April 1. Franklin’s ring walk begins. He’s not the crowd favorite but a few cheers pour in for the underdog. He can’t help but grin as he makes his way to the ring, perhaps recognizing the gravity of the moment and how far he’s come. But the grin is short lived as Franklin is there for one reason — to cause an upset.
The fight begins. Franklin battled Joshua, enduring power punches by the 6′ 6″ UK boxer who may have gotten away with a few questionable hooks and holds. The first two rounds were evenly matched, with Joshua slightly edging out Franklin but in the third, Franklin seemed to get more comfortable, landing a nice inside left to the body. They would go back and forth in the remaining rounds, with Joshua getting the best of them. In round 11, Joshua seemed to seriously hurt Franklin with a body shot but the resilience of Franklin allowed him to finish out all 12 rounds.
The results were not what Franklin or Joshua hoped for. The more experienced boxer defeated Franklin via unanimous decision (118-111, 117-111, 117-111), but it was no statement win for Joshua who many thought would dominate the match with an ending knockout.
Franklin lost on the scorecards but showed the boxing world that he is someone who won’t go away easily. His journey to this point has not been without challenges but much like his April 1 bout, he refuses to quit.
