Anthony Joshua weighs in at the HEAVIEST of his career heading into Saturday’s showdown with Jermaine Franklin, gaining more than 10 POUNDS since losing to Oleksandr Usyk in August…as his American rival comes to the fore
Anthony Joshua will head into Saturday’s fight with Jermaine Franklin in his heaviest career.
Joshua, who suffered his second straight loss to Usyk in August 2022, weighed in at 255.4 pounds on Friday afternoon.
The former champion is hoping his extra weight will help him make a statement on Saturday and record his first win since against Kubrat Pulev in December 2020.
Meanwhile, Franklin has lost 23 pounds since her points loss to Dillian Whyte in November 2022 and looked visibly a trainee in her torso and face when she took the stage. He tipped the scales at just over 234 pounds.
Franklin’s weight loss provides a clear indication of his game plan heading into Saturday’s fight. The American will be looking to match Joshua’s production, and the British heavyweight will be forced to work 40 percent more in his second fight with Usyk than in any of his previous fights.
Anthony Joshua (L) weighed in at the heaviest of his career for his fight against Jermaine Franklin (R)
The former heavyweight champion tipped the scales at a whopping 255.4 pounds on Friday.
Joshua’s weight has been a topic of conversation since he made the move to professional boxing in 2013. Fans and pundits have often criticized the British heavyweight for being “too big”, “too heavy” and “too slow”.
Some insist the 33-year-old has won too much since his amateur days when he beat Roberto Cammarelle in 2012 to become Great Britain’s 29th and last Olympic gold medalist at the London Olympics.
However, Joshua’s trainers insist he is in perfect condition to face Franklin at the O2 Arena on Saturday night.
Meanwhile, Franklin weighed in at 23 pounds less than he did against Whyte in November 2022. His trainers insist the American’s weight loss will help him defeat the two-time heavyweight champion.
Jesse Addison told Sportsmail earlier in the week that Franklin heads into this fight “stronger, faster and more focused” than ever before.
While Lorenzo Reynolds said the American heavyweight is more conditioned than he was against Whyte and shut down claims that his weight loss has diminished his power.
Reynolds told Sportsmail: “We are very happy with his [Franklin’s] weight. We are happy with his commitment. We are looking forward to an amazing fight this Saturday.’
When asked what the secret to his weight loss was, Reynolds said “time.” He said Franklin has had more time to prepare for his fight against Joshua than he did for Whyte’s fight in November 2022.
Franklin weighed 23 pounds less than Dillian Whyte when she tipped the scales at 234 pounds.
The American came up short against Whyte last time out, losing by a controversial majority decision.
Reynolds said: ‘This time we went down to a good state that has a lot of heat in Florida. We take advantage of all training opportunities. We had a very focused Jermaine.
We put him on a strict diet. He responded to all the tests we did on him. So we hope you do very well in your final exam on Saturday night.’
Reynolds also said that Franklin lacked fitness heading into Whyte’s fight, 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 fuel tank” this time.
He told Sportsmail: ‘The Dillian Whyte fight showed us that she has a lot of heart. Many fighters lack heart but Jermaine showed that he had a lot of heart. But the conditioning was missing.
Joshua and Franklin saw each other face to face for the last time before meeting in the ring on Saturday.
So, we went back and made their weakness their strength. We had time to do it, so we trusted his cardiovascular system. We’re sure if the fight goes all the way, you’ve got plenty of premium gasoline in your fuel tank.’
There have been concerns that Franklin’s weight loss could affect his power. However, Addison insists that his fighter is “stronger, faster and more focused” than ever.
Asked if Franklin’s weight loss will affect his power, Addison said: ‘Absolutely not. If anything, she has gotten stronger.
‘He has become faster and is more focused. We think the weight loss will be to Jermaine’s advantage against Joshua.
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