[POLL] Heavyweight Boxing 1st April 2023: Joshua vs Franklin

[Yatsan]

And for reference, the current odds as per Stake:



So Franklin is 7:1 underdog, and I don't know if he can pull an upset here. This is a must win for Joshua if he still have this plan of an All-British showdown with Tyson Fury in the future. As he has said previously, his motivation is money so he must be motivated here so that he can book the biggest payday of his career before he retires. So I think the pressure is on Joshua's shoulder, but I think he can overcome Franklin with a big statement and morale booster win.

The same after looking at the global odds forecasts in the AJ 1.25 vs 6.3 crawl for Franklin and it looks like Joshua is serious about this fight as he has already stated that the preparation for the fight will be more serious than for the fight with Usyk. But why is he still considered the absolute favorite to win with Franklin, because he still lost the last two fights, and the last knockout he did was more than two years ago.

Battle of stamina I guess. Reach would be a big factor to not be tired quickly; we are talking about heavy weight class. Both are heavy punchers but that won't mean a thing if they wouldn't be able to throw a hundred percent of their strength. I'd I guess go for Franklin on this one. Indeed Joshua has more fights which means experience but I believe franklin would be more eager with this match up. This would be a big break for Franklin which I think would be his 'gas' to be victorious over joshua. Odds won't mean a thing once the bell ring. The outcome will solely depend on the player and his condition. Both are having serious preparations.

[JollyGood]

Is it possible that Franklin sees this the other way round to the way you see it and he thinks of this fight as putting him back on the track to a world title fight? If it applies to Joshua then it should apply to Franklin too, he has an equal right to think of this fight as an opportunity to redeem himself.

These are the main aspects of the records:

Franklin record is 21 consecutive wins before his most recent fight which was a loss standing at 21-1
Joshua has a dismal record of his previous five fights as W2 L3 . He had 22 consecutive wins before loss to Ruiz and consecutive losses to Usyk standing at 24-3

If Ruiz had not wildly partied and semi-trained in the run up to the Joshua rematch, I think he would have beaten Joshua again. He regretted it later when he was interviewed but if things had turned out differently it would have been Ruiz and Usyk battling it out with each other and the winner facing Fury in a unification fight.

I don't agree with OP that this is a very close fight. This is a Joshua fight. Although Franklin has a decent record, it's just a record. He's not a star. I think this is a way for Joshua to redeem himself. He's given an easy opponent this time around. He could still be defeated of course especially if his back to back losses are still in his head, but he is fighting against a nobody. Joshua should be 100% ready for this fight and be able to knock Franklin out cold.

[Baofeng]

And for reference, the current odds as per Stake:



So Franklin is 7:1 underdog, and I don't know if he can pull an upset here. This is a must win for Joshua if he still have this plan of an All-British showdown with Tyson Fury in the future. As he has said previously, his motivation is money so he must be motivated here so that he can book the biggest payday of his career before he retires. So I think the pressure is on Joshua's shoulder, but I think he can overcome Franklin with a big statement and morale booster win.

The same after looking at the global odds forecasts in the AJ 1.25 vs 6.3 crawl for Franklin and it looks like Joshua is serious about this fight as he has already stated that the preparation for the fight will be more serious than for the fight with Usyk. But why is he still considered the absolute favorite to win with Franklin, because he still lost the last two fights, and the last knockout he did was more than two years ago.

Battle of stamina I guess. Reach would be a big factor to not be tired quickly; we are talking about heavy weight class. Both are heavy punchers but that won't mean a thing if they wouldn't be able to throw a hundred percent of their strength. I'd I guess go for Franklin on this one. Indeed Joshua has more fights which means experience but I believe franklin would be more eager with this match up. This would be a big break for Franklin which I think would be his 'gas' to be victorious over joshua. Odds won't mean a thing once the bell ring. The outcome will solely depend on the player and his condition. Both are having serious preparations.

Obviously, yes, this are big guys, over 200 lbs and so most likely they will get tired as the first progresses. Unless we will see knockout early, both will be tested in a full 12 rounds. Joshua is motivated to win here, as we have said, new coach and then if he losses, no more big paycheck for him in a Tyson Fury fight. On other hand, Franklin has everything to gain in this fight, so he is also looking for an upset.

Odds are there for a reason, that is the expected probability and so when sports bookies throw some numbers, they are not just guessing it. They are looking at other factors as well, so maybe for boxers it doesn't mean a thing. But for bettors, they will have to look at the odds if they wanted to win some money.

[AverageGlabella]

Is it possible that Franklin sees this the other way round to the way you see it and he thinks of this fight as putting him back on the track to a world title fight? If it applies to Joshua then it should apply to Franklin too, he has an equal right to think of this fight as an opportunity to redeem himself.

It might be possible Franklin is thinking this but he does not have much to lose. It is a fight people expect him to lose so if he loses it does not make a difference to his career except he is not undefeated any more but I think the payday and the fame that comes with fighting someone like Joshua is worth sacrificing a 0 on his record. If he does manage to beat Joshua that does a lot for his career and would be his most notable win in his entire career I do not think he would beat any one as big as Joshua. I cannot see him fighting Fury or Usyk even if he wins though. Both of them are due to retire and I think Fury already has eyes on retirement because he has already attempted to do it. As soon as Fury beats Usyk he has achieved everything that he could because Joshua has already declined so much that he could not compete with Fury and Usyk is the only contender that he has not beat. He destroyed Wilder and Wilder is number 2 or 3 in the world.

[Maestro75]

We should see a different Joshua he will never look at any opponent lightly again after the Ruiz loss and Usyk back to back losses where he is the favorite to win in those matches,

My wish is for AJ to take this one so that it can restore his confidence. The statistics favour him in the upcoming encounter and I hope he makes a bold statement with that match. Anything short of a TKO will not be good for his dwindling boxing career.

Joshua is still young and can still make a lot of great fights but he should start somewhere and this is it.

Fitness over age is the core thing in sports like boxing. Most times it is the younger boxers who ends up taking the shine off the more advanced ones. In terms of age the stats favour Jermaine Franklin age wise. But I want AJ to win.

[Cling18]

We should see a different Joshua he will never look at any opponent lightly again after the Ruiz loss and Usyk back to back losses where he is the favorite to win in those matches,

My wish is for AJ to take this one so that it can restore his confidence. The statistics favour him in the upcoming encounter and I hope he makes a bold statement with that match. Anything short of a TKO will not be good for his dwindling boxing career.

Joshua is still young and can still make a lot of great fights but he should start somewhere and this is it.

Fitness over age is the core thing in sports like boxing. Most times it is the younger boxers who ends up taking the shine off the more advanced ones. In terms of age the stats favour Jermaine Franklin age-wise. But I want AJ to win.

Joshua seems too willing and eager to win this fight. He's into serious series of training because for sure, he doesn't want to miss the chance of proving himself more in this field again. I'm confident that Joshua could showcase his full strength in this match. Franklin despite being the underdog also shows his eagerness to take another title so I hope that Joshua would focus on seeing Franklin's weaknesses first.

[Maestro75]

Joshua seems too willing and eager to win this fight. He's into serious series of training because for sure, he doesn't want to miss the chance of proving himself more in this field again.

Like they say, this boxers all go into the ring looking prepared until something hits them and changes their game plan. I want to hope that Joshua will not expose his flanks for body shots or let down his hands as he often does when he thinks he is having an upper hand. Infact, his game plan should be on how to finish Franklin within the first 6 rounds without letting it go further. He should not rely on judges unanimous decision to win the bout. It may not favour him like it did in his rematch with Usyk.

[goldkingcoiner]

It feels like a lot of people are cheering for Joshua to win merely because he is currently seen as the "underdog" after having had his bad fight (luck?) streak. But can we really be sure that this has something to do with luck or is Joshua merely starting to give up?

I would not feel confident, betting on him, because of his past "bad luck". But then again Franklin is not such a huge challenge either. So its a bit hard to tell who will win.

Not sure I want to risk betting on either on them at this point in time.

[wheelz1200]

This feels like a sub par fight here.  Both are on the higher end of the hw draws but there just isn't the fighters in he like there used to be.  The weight class needs a new Tyson, holy field, Lewis, etc.  Not one of these boxers is captivating enough to move the need on entertainment value.  Just not the way it used to be.

[coin-investor]

We should see a different Joshua he will never look at any opponent lightly again after the Ruiz loss and Usyk back to back losses where he is the favorite to win in those matches,

My wish is for AJ to take this one so that it can restore his confidence. The statistics favour him in the upcoming encounter and I hope he makes a bold statement with that match. Anything short of a TKO will not be good for his dwindling boxing career.

Joshua is still young and can still make a lot of great fights but he should start somewhere and this is it.

Fitness over age is the core thing in sports like boxing. Most times it is the younger boxers who ends up taking the shine off the more advanced ones. In terms of age the stats favour Jermaine Franklin age-wise. But I want AJ to win.

Joshua seems too willing and eager to win this fight. He's into serious series of training because for sure, he doesn't want to miss the chance of proving himself more in this field again. I'm confident that Joshua could showcase his full strength in this match. Franklin despite being the underdog also shows his eagerness to take another title so I hope that Joshua would focus on seeing Franklin's weaknesses first.

He should be, the hardest for a boxer is having two losses in a row, Wilder already overcome this with an impressive performance against Helenius, so he is back on track, now Joshua should find a way to win as impressively as possible so he can back on track and maybe set up a meeting against Wilder since they have the same fate losing to the same fighter two in a row.
It may not be appealing anymore because both are not champions anymore but this fight should be made to rekindle the rivalry between the two, but first Joshua must hurdle Franklin first, anything will be possible for Joshua if he wins.

[Betwrong]

Is it possible that Franklin sees this the other way round to the way you see it and he thinks of this fight as putting him back on the track to a world title fight? If it applies to Joshua then it should apply to Franklin too, he has an equal right to think of this fight as an opportunity to redeem himself. ~

Yes, absolutely. Franklin has only one loss in his career, and it was his latest fight 3 months ago. More than anything he wants wants to prove to the world that the last time he lost by accident. So, his motivation is strong enough, and he's in a great shape too. As I said earlier, I admire your betting on the underdog. And I think you have a good chance to win. Definitely more than 15% chance, as it might seem from the odds.

I even placed a bet on Franklin inspired by what you wrote here.



Let's hope Jermaine Franklin won't let us down.

[JollyGood]

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[AverageGlabella]

Let's hope Jermaine Franklin won't let us down.

I think JollyGood is playing devils advocate because Franklin has a good record but he has not fought any one with a big name he has never been tested and he is the average boxer that gets given cans to build a career. He has a strong punch but every heavyweight has a strong punch. Franklin does not move much and his speed is average. Joshua is fast for a heavyweight and has some of the best power in the heavyweight division. If you compare the names on each boxers record then Joshua has fought the harder opponents. Franklin has barely fought any one that a casual boxing fan will know. I think Joshua makes it look easy and knocks Franklin out. He does not move and he is not faster then Joshua while Joshua has a good record against lower tier boxers and almost knocks them out every time.

[aioc]

Let's hope Jermaine Franklin won't let us down.

I think JollyGood is playing devils advocate because Franklin has a good record but he has not fought any one with a big name he has never been tested and he is the average boxer that gets given cans to build a career. He has a strong punch but every heavyweight has a strong punch. Franklin does not move much and his speed is average. Joshua is fast for a heavyweight and has some of the best power in the heavyweight division. If you compare the names on each boxers record then Joshua has fought the harder opponents. Franklin has barely fought any one that a casual boxing fan will know. I think Joshua makes it look easy and knocks Franklin out. He does not move and he is not faster then Joshua while Joshua has a good record against lower tier boxers and almost knocks them out every time.

That's what the majority of us here thinks when Joshua fought Andy Ruiz, Ruiz is actually a late replacement for Miller but look what happened, it became the biggest upset in the history of boxing after the Tyson - Douglas match
I'm not ruling out an upset here, Joshua's mindset and motivation are questionable and we have one here hungry for attention with nothing to lose.
I don't want to entertain the idea of Joshua suffering his third loss, because I'm still excited to see a Wilder - Joshua or  Fury - Joshua fights, but somehow Joshua must find a way to get up he should start somewhere and his only ticket is this fight.

[Betwrong]

Let's hope Jermaine Franklin won't let us down.

I think JollyGood is playing devils advocate because Franklin has a good record but he has not fought any one with a big name he has never been tested and he is the average boxer that gets given cans to build a career. He has a strong punch but every heavyweight has a strong punch. Franklin does not move much and his speed is average. Joshua is fast for a heavyweight and has some of the best power in the heavyweight division. If you compare the names on each boxers record then Joshua has fought the harder opponents. Franklin has barely fought any one that a casual boxing fan will know. I think Joshua makes it look easy and knocks Franklin out. He does not move and he is not faster then Joshua while Joshua has a good record against lower tier boxers and almost knocks them out every time.

That's what most gamblers think, and that's why we have those odds. If you think of it, Joshua has better chances, and you presented some good points on why. Betting on the underdog always involves hoping for something unexpected to happen. But if you turned out to be right, you are rewarded with a good multiplier of your bet.

[JollyGood]

The fight goes ahead this weekend. The last time Joshua won in the boxing ring was 2020 and he has to admit time is running out of he has any chance of getting back any of the championship belts he lost to Usyk.

If he beats Franklin he steps closer to having a chance at redemption otherwise defeat on Saturday would mean his career would probably be over.

[JollyGood]

It is all over after 12 rounds. The judges scored the fight: 118-111, 117-111 and 117-111 in favour of Joshua.

Franklin was no push over, he tried to win the fight but in the end stopped Joshua from knocking him out and lost the fight on a points decision.

Could Joshua seriously be back on the road to redemption?

[robelneo]

It is all over after 12 rounds. The judges scored the fight: 118-111, 117-111 and 117-111 in favour of Joshua.

Franklin was no push over, he tried to win the fight but in the end stopped Joshua from knocking him out and lost the fight on a points decision.

Could Joshua seriously be back on the road to redemption?

I think he needs more than one good fight, Joshua totally dominated Franklin, and Joshua's killing instinct is still there but not dangerous anymore he didn't even score a knockdown, a fight with Wilder should be made right away, both coming from back to back loses and a Wilder fight will determine who should move forward to have another crack at the title, they are both in a similar situations coming from two back to back losses than winning after those back to back losses but Wilder's comeback is more impressive.

[bisdak40]

Could Joshua seriously be back on the road to redemption?

Basing on this fight, i don't think he is ready to face Usyk or Fury because to me it seems he lacks confidence needed to at least get the respect of his opponents. But if a fight with either Fury or Usyk will happen in the future then for sure that would be a blockbuster but I definitely put my money on his opponents that time around.

[Baofeng]

It is all over after 12 rounds. The judges scored the fight: 118-111, 117-111 and 117-111 in favour of Joshua.

Franklin was no push over, he tried to win the fight but in the end stopped Joshua from knocking him out and lost the fight on a points decision.

Could Joshua seriously be back on the road to redemption?

I think he needs more than one good fight, Joshua totally dominated Franklin, and Joshua's killing instinct is still there but not dangerous anymore he didn't even score a knockdown, a fight with Wilder should be made right away, both coming from back to back loses and a Wilder fight will determine who should move forward to have another crack at the title, they are both in a similar situations coming from two back to back losses than winning after those back to back losses but Wilder's comeback is more impressive.

It's because Wilder still possesses that one punch knockout, which is still very scary. Who ever he touches, not name Fury, are going to go down hard. As opposed to Joshua who changes or a bit hesitant to pull the trigger after his first lost to Andy Ruiz. And then he switches coaches one after another that affected his style and then back to back lost to Usyk.

Probably this fight against Franklin that he won is just a tune up fight for him. Just to get back that confidence to be in the ring again and beat someone. And that 2 losses against Usyk really took a toll on him mentally. And if he chases Wilder next? I will go with Wilder and Joshua might be knockout for good and stay in the canvass. Wilder is still one of the heaviest hitting in the Heavyweight division right now.