Former Anthony Joshua Opponent Jermaine Franklin Headlines DAZN Show On Thursday
- Jermaine Franklin extended Anthony Joshua the 12-round distance last April
- The American Heavyweight headlines a DAZN show on Saturday in Detroit
- Saturday: Josh Taylor clashes with Jack Catterall in Leeds in all-British grudge match
Two-times beaten American Heavyweight Jermaine Franklin (22-2, 14 KOs) returns to the ring for the first time in ten months on Saturday.
Franklin lost a controversial majority decision to Dillian Whyte in November 2022 and then landed a massive fight with Anthony Joshua where he extended the former unified champion the full twelve-round distance at London’s O2.
The 30-year-old has had one fight since his back-to-back defeats in the UK, a ten-round shutout win over Mexico’s Isaac Munoz Gutierrez.
Jermaine Franklin Next Fight Headlines DAZN Show On Thursday
Franklin will face Devin Vargas (22-10, 9 KOs) atop a Salita Promotions show on Thursday, May 23 at the Wayne State Fieldhouse, Detroit, Michigan, USA live on DAZN.
Also on the Jermaine Franklin vs Devin Vargas card, Super Middleweight contender Ali Akhmedov (20-1) clashes with Encarnacion Diaz (18-4), Joshua James Pagan (9-0) and Roger Hilley (13-0) meet in a battle of unbeatens, and Ardreal Holmes Jr (15-0) keeps busy in a six-rounder.
The Big Time Boxing USA show kicks off at 8 pm ET (1 am BST) with the main event expected at 10:30 pm ET (3:30 am BST).
“I want to show the world the new Jermaine,” said Franklin. “I have some new smoke to show boxing fans. I learned so much after the Joshua fight. I must trust myself and my skills. My team told me, ‘If you want the belt, you have to go for it.’ You will see a new Jermaine. I promise that.”
“I’m so hyped to fight in front of my family and friends. I get a chance to come home and give my family a welcome-home knockout. I have been to some great places to fight, but nothing comes close to fighting at home in front of family.”