Jermaine Franklin says he’s not worried about the punching power of the bigger & stronger Anthony Joshua ahead of their fight this Saturday night on April 1st at the O2 Arena in London.
Franklin (21-1, 14 KOs) says he intend on letting Joshua (24-3, 22 KOs) land his shots in this fight because he’s not going to be standing there as an easy target for his bombs.
Like many, Franklin doesn’t know what to expect from Joshua in their ‘New Dawn’ fight. Joshua has a new trainer Derrick James, who is known for coaching fighters known for their power games.
Joshua will likely attempt to bomb Franklin out with a flurry of power shots in the early rounds, looking to impress his coach and see if he can turn back the clock to how he used to fight earlier in his career before he became a defensive-oriented fighter.
“I’m not worried about his power. I’m smart. I’m not dumb in there,” said Jermaine Franklin to iFL TV when asked if he was concerned with Anthony Joshua’s punching power for their fight on Saturday night.
“He’s getting older, so the answer is probably no, but I’m not taking nothing from him. He’s still a man like I am. We bleed the same. So it’s all will and ambition,” said Franklin when asked if Joshua is still the same fighter he once was.
“We still got to see what Usyk does,” said Franklin when asked if it’s right for people to be writing Joshua off. “In boxing, people jump the gun. You’re taking that from Anthony Joshua, but what if Usyk wins his next couple of fights against big names? Is it the same story, or is Joshua still done?
“He’s going to have to hurt me. Any other way besides that, I have nothing to worry about. Stay smart, stay protected, and use my defense in there,” Franklin continued.
“Yeah, I got the power to hurt anybody,” said Franklin when asked if he could hurt Joshua. “Even before the loss [to Oleksandr Usyk], we watched all types of tape.
“We looked at habits and small mistakes. Many people try to look at the loss and capitalize on it, but it gets deeper than that. I see a couple of habits and a couple of mistakes.
“I respect all boxers. This is not for the weak-hearted. All boxers are warriors. This is a horrible sport, and we all have to go back home to our families,” said Franklin.
