Via Jim Calfa: Jermain Franklin feels that he has to really make a statement against Anthony Joshua to win on April 1 at the O2 Arena in London, England.
Franklin (21-1, 14 KOs) believes he was a victim of boxing politics in his final bout, losing to British boxer Dillian Whyte last November in London.
To avoid that happening to him again, Franklin plans to make a statement by overwhelming Joshua (24-3.22 KOs) to the point where the umpires cannot deprive him of his victory.
The best way to get the referee out of the game is for Franklin, 29, to take out Joshua, as Andy Ruiz Jr did in 2019.
Joshua might not be able to stand if Franklin starts hitting him the way he did to Dillian. Franklin shot Whyte several times in the head during that skirmish, but somehow managed to knock him out.
Franklin wants to make a statement
“The way they advertise in the media is that they are trying to use me as a regulation war. That’s the whole story in the media right now,” Jermaine Franklin told DAZN . boxing program about Anthony Joshua and his team.
“That was the whole story they were trying to push with Dillian Whyte, and I proved them wrong about that. I feel like I made an unfair decision. We know what boxing is like. We know the politics of the game. So we know how it works.
“I’m not going to bow, but I have to go there and make a real statement and make a real impact. This is a warrior’s sport, so I feel all fighters should compete against each other.
“There is a lot of evasion going on these days. Hopefully we can get boxing back to the way it used to be. People run away from each other. We just have to give the fans what they want and get the kids back into the sport,” said Jermain.
Jermaine wants to prove team Joshua wrong
“I don’t like fame and all the glamour. I’m just a normal person,” Franklin said when asked if he liked all the attention on him. “It’s a bit overwhelming sometimes.
“I think they’re studying the game from Dillian Whyte, and what they’re thinking in their head is trying to convince the game, they think Anthony is better than Dillian and Anthony can perform better.
“So they’re thinking Anthony can do what Dillian can’t, but I’m going to prove them wrong. Both are good fighters. I think AJ is probably better in terms of skills. Not taking anything from Dillian Whyte, but Dillian has his own boxing style. That’s a bit awkward.
“It is not a conventional style. So when you compare them, AJ is a bit more skilled, in terms of skill,” Franklin said.
“Derrick James is a terrible coach. He coaches Errol Spence. His guys are kind of bully-ish the way they fight. I cannot give away with knowledge. We’re working on a plan together,” Franklin said when asked what he expected Joshua to do.
“I’m watching old footage, new footage. Me, I study my old stuff, so I wanted to see how you move and react to certain things and how you act under pressure, and how you react when you hurt someone.
“I want to know how you react. I want to see all your flaws, and how you move. If you get too excited. I want to know all the little details. That’s how I plan my attack,” Franklin said.
Franklin rates Joshua 6 or 7 on a 10 scale
“I hope everyone comes back. It’s just that I don’t want to think about getting in the ring,” Franklin said, “This guy’s done. He was injured. He’s not like this; he is not. I still think of AJ as if he were a unified champion.
“Immediately? Maybe six or seven,” Franklin said when asked to rate Joshua on a ten-point scale. lost to Ruiz, to whom he came back and won, but Andy was a bit out of shape.
“He wasn’t Andy in the first game, and then you come back and get two losses against Usyk. I think that really hurts. I don’t appreciate the boys, but probably close enough. Six or seven,” Franklin said when asked to rate Joshua’s skills.
“I watch a lot of Tyson. Tyson has his own little things that he does that people won’t notice, but it’s smart, efficient, and gives him an edge. You think this guy is just hitting you, but it’s really the tactics behind it. He’s really smart in that.
“I will go in there and fight my war. I know politics. In this game, you don’t want to put too much pressure on yourself because you can’t live with someone who will destroy your mind in the ring.
“Now you become weak in the ring, and someone will beat you. It’s not that you’re a weakling, but once you find yourself unable to knock out, your morale will start to go haywire if that’s your whole match plan, like you have to rush in. and take him down,” Franklin said of the pressure.
Franklin is hungrier after his death
“It makes me hungrier. I felt like I won the game 7-5,” Franklin said of the match against Dillian Whyte. “We’re not going to cry about that. We’ll go back to the gym and work harder. We try not to let them do the same to us twice.
“It’s about skill,” Franklin said when asked if Whyte was his toughest fight. “He has more experience than most people I have fought with other than Rydell Booker. In terms of experience, he’s probably more experienced than anyone I’ve fought with.
“He knows a lot of details about the ring and the ring. He knows how to do some things. I think it’s my hardest fighting skill.
“It could be two things. Either you dodge him directly, or your team advises you not to fight because you have other things in motion, fighting better,” Franklin said when asked why Anthony Joshua didn’t fight Deontay Wilder.
“I think AJ has more skill, but Wilder has the kind of heart that you can’t physically destroy this guy; he can knock you down. If you can’t physically destroy him and take away his will, there’s a good chance you’ll be knocked out,” Franklin said.
Jermain picks his three opponents
“When I passed AJ, I thought Daniel Dubois was talking nonsense,” sid Franklin. “I’d like to see. I’m trying to think of some people who would put me in that position. I’m going by rank and belt and other things, but it’s kind of going against it.
“I want to fight all the world champions. Whoever has the belt, I want to fight them. I want to fight Daniel, I want to fight Usyk and I want to fight Tyson. I feel like that will come in the future. I feel like there are going to be bigger fights,” Franklin said when asked if he wanted to fight Deontay Wilder.
“I feel like Andy or Deontay. When we make this happen [beating Joshua]those wars will come upon us,” Franklin said.
