Heavyweight contender Jermaine Franklin gave his verdict on Anthony Joshua’s massive knockout of Francis Ngannou in the aftermath of the battle.
Franklin, who went the distance with Joshua in a fight many believe he did enough to win, watched on Friday night as his old rival faced an MMA champion.
Joshua took less than two rounds to do what Tyson Fury failed just five months earlier. AJ scored a hellacious one-punch KO of Ngannou in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Airing his views on the easy work, Franklin pointed out the stark differences between boxing and MMA.
“Boxing is different than MMA. In boxing, you have to have skills, and it’s an art to boxing. That is why fighters have an amateur start to master their skills before becoming professional,” Franklin told World Boxing News exclusively.
“Ngannou has the heart of a fighter, but Joshua just overmatched him. In the end, Joshua did what he had to do which was to get the knockout. He showed his power and ring experience.”
Asked for his thoughts on Joshua facing Fury, who was dropped by Ngannou last October, Franklin spoke from the experience of sharing a ring with both boxers.
“To me, Fury vs Joshua is still a fifty-fifty fight,” said Franklin. “We know Fury can get knocked down, and we know Joshua has good power. Also, Fury has great timing, so he can move and avoid punches.
“When I sparred with Fury, he had excellent timing with his punches. But I stood up to his power when I fought Joshua and gave him some smoke.
“I think the winner of the fight is the fighter who dictates the pace of the fight. He will be the one who gets the job done,” he concluded.
Fury has to overcome Oleksandr Usyk on May 18 before a rematch clause or retirement kicks in afterward. It’s not one hundred percent set in stone that the fight will ever happen.
Should Usyk defeat Fury, which many believe he will do, “The Gypsy King” may not want to hang around for a second bite of the cherry, as AJ did with the Ukrainian.
That would free Usyk up for his mandatory duties and leave Joshua to fend for himself. The Briton would need to then position for a second crack at revenge against the current Ring Magazine belt holder.
Regarding Franklin’s return, the highly-rated top-division puncher told WBN he was pushing for a place on the May 18 Fury vs Usyk undercard or the next one on June 1.
Learn more and read all articles from experienced boxing writer and World Boxing News Editor Phil Jay.
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