Anthony Joshua weighs in his most significant career in Saturday’s showdown with Jermaine Franklin, gaining more than 10 pounds since losing to Oleksandr Usyk in August…as his American rival comes into the light
Anthony Joshua will battle Saturday with Jermaine Franklin in the fiercest of his career.
Joshua — who suffered his second straight loss to Usyk in August 2022 — weighed in at 255.4 pounds on Friday afternoon.
The former champ will be hoping his extra weight can help him make a statement on Saturday and pick up his first win since against Kubrat Pulev in December 2020.
Meanwhile, Franklin lost 23 pounds from his points defeat against Dillian White in November 2022 and visibly looked educated in the torso and face when he took the stage. He tipped the scales at just over 234 lbs.
Franklin’s weight loss provides a clear indication of his game plan ahead of Saturday’s game. The American will look to match Joshua’s output – with the British heavyweight being forced to work 40 per cent harder in his second fight for Usyk than in any of his previous fights.
Anthony Joshua (left) weighed heavier in his fight against Jermaine Franklin (right)
The former heavyweight champion tipped the scales to 255.4 pounds on Friday
Joshua’s weight has been a topic of discussion ever since he took the step into professional boxing in 2013. The British heavyweight has often been criticized by fans and pundits for being “too big”, “too heavy” and “too slow”.
Some insist the 33-year-old has long doubled since his amateur days when he beat Roberto Camarelli in 2012 to become the 29th and final gold medalist for Great Britain at the London Olympics.
However, Joshua’s coaches insist he is in perfect condition to face Franklin at the O2 Arena on Saturday night.
Meanwhile, Franklin weighed 23 pounds lighter than he did against White in November 2022. His coaches insist losing the American weight will help him dethrone the two-time heavyweight champ.
Jesse Addison told Sportsmail earlier in the week that Franklin is heading into this fight “stronger, faster and more focused” than ever.
While Lorenzo Reynolds said the American heavyweight was more conditional than he was against White and shut down his claims that weight loss reduced his strength.
We’re really happy with his (Franklin’s) weight,’ Reynolds told Sportsmail. We are pleased with his commitment. We are looking forward to a great fight this Saturday.
When asked about the secret to his weight loss, Reynolds said, “Time.” He said Franklin had more time to prepare for his fight against Joshua than he did for the November 2022 Wyatt fight.
Franklin weighed 23 pounds lighter than Dillian White tipping the scales at 234 pounds
The American failed to face White the last time around, losing by controversial majority decision
“This time we went to a good state with a lot of heat in Florida,” Reynolds said. “We took advantage of every training opportunity. We had Jermaine very focused.
We put him on a strict diet. He answered every test we gave him. So we expect him to do a great job on Saturday night’s final exam.
Reynolds also said that Franklin lacked physical fitness before facing White – which he lost 115-115, 116-112 and 116-112.
However, Franklin’s strength and conditioning coach is confident that the American has “premium gasoline in his tank” this time around.
He told Sportsmail: ‘The Dillian White fight showed us he had a lot of heart. A lot of fighters lack heart but Jermaine showed he had a lot of heart. But the air conditioning was lacking.
Joshua and Franklin met face-to-face for the last time before meeting in the ring on Saturday
So, we went back and made his weakness his strength. We managed to do this, so we are confident in the cardiovascular system. We are confident that if the battle continues, he will have plenty of premium gasoline in his tank.
There were concerns that Franklin’s weight loss might affect his strength. However, Addison insists his fighter is “stronger, faster and more focused” than ever before.
When asked if Franklin’s weight loss would affect his strength, Addison said, “Absolutely not.” If anything it has become stronger.
It has become faster and more focused. We feel losing weight will be an advantage for Jermaine against Joshua.
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