Anthony Joshua Vs. Jermaine Franklin: Odds, Records, Prediction

After losing three of his last five fights, including two in a row to Oleksandr Usyk, it’s time this Saturday for the Anthony Joshua rehabilitation tour to begin. And while Jermaine Franklin isn’t necessarily a big name with an impressive resume and even though Joshua is a large betting favorite, that doesn’t mean Franklin won’t provide solid opposition for the former heavyweight champion. Here’s everything you need to know about Anthony Joshua vs. Jermaine Franklin, including the odds, their records and a prediction on who will win.

It’s this simple: Joshua needs to win this fight. And it doesn’t necessarily matter how he gets there.

“I really don’t care how we get the win; I just care that we get it,” Joshua’s new trainer, Derrick James, said this week. “If it gets to a point where I can see [the knockout], then let’s go get it. Initially, he’s just going in there and it’s all about winning the fight. Regardless of how he wins, I don’t care about that. I just care that he comes out victorious. If I see the knockout, then let’s go take him.”

Joshua is aware of just how important this fight is to his career. A loss against Franklin, who is coming off a defeat of his own and hasn’t proved that he belongs in the top-10 in the heavyweight division, would be disastrous for Joshua. It might be a career-killer.

Joshua knows just how much he needs the win.

“It’s big, it’s massive. It’s a big fight for me, for sure,” Joshua said. “I respect my coach as well so I want to make sure I get the job done in good finish. I like the fact you always dangle carrots in front of me, telling me if I do this, this is here and that’s there always leading onto big things. I dream big and I want bigger and better things in my life.”

Unsurprisingly, Joshua is a big betting favorite. But Franklin, coming off a close defeat to Dillian Whyte last November, believes in himself—even if he, theoretically, is facing a better fighter in Joshua. That’s because Franklin said he only had 5-7 weeks to get in shape for the Whyte fight. Against Joshua, he’s had a full training camp.

“They’re probably looking at me like I’m a pushover or a walkover or something like that, but they’re going to be in for a rude awakening . . .” Franklin said. “I showed people what I could do against Dillian. I showed people I can hang up there with some of the best. Dillian is a top 10/top 15 fighter, and I showed people what I’m capable of. I don’t feel like I lost. We came home, and we worked on stuff. We got better and we perfected our craft. We learned some different techniques and ways to attack.”

Here’s more info on the Anthony Joshua vs. Jermaine Franklin showdown that U.S. viewers can watch on DAZN beginning at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday.

Anthony Joshua vs. Jermaine Franklin odds

Joshua is the large betting favorite, and his -1200 money line (bet $1,200 to win $100) hasn’t moved for the past several weeks. Meanwhile, Franklin is the +700 underdog (win $700 on a $100 wager). Neither money line does much for me. Neither does Joshua winning by stoppage at -350. I personally am not predicting this, but there’s potentially some value in grabbing Joshua to win by decision at +400. If you think Franklin will win, I’d probably just take him to be victorious by decision at +2000.

If you were looking for a fun parlay for this weekend’s action of boxing (and this is only for entertainment purposes), I might take Joshua to beat Franklin by KO/TKO at -350 and Robeisy Ramirez to beat Isaac Dogboe by decision at +125. That would get you a $90 profit on a $100 wager. Not great but not terrible either.

Anthony Joshua vs. Jermaine Franklin records

Joshua might not be considered the best heavyweight in the world anymore, but he has faced a better resume than most of his peers. At 24-3 (22 KOs), his best victories were against Wladimir Klitschko, Andy Ruiz in their rematch, Joseph Parker and Dillian Whyte. But when Joshua has lost (against Usyk twice and against Ruiz), it’s been mostly spectacular and strange.

Despite his majority decision loss to Whyte, Franklin (21-1, 14 KOs) has a couple of solid victories, including those against Jerry Forrest and Rydell Booker. But Franklin has never faced an opponent the caliber of Joshua. The Whyte fight apparently gave Franklin some confidence, but Joshua could destroy that mindset quickly if he lands his power shots early.

Anthony Joshua vs. Jermaine Franklin prediction

It’ll be interesting to see how Joshua, who is with his third trainer in his last three fights, performs with James in his corner. It wouldn’t be a shock to see Joshua start cautiously, even if Franklin isn’t known for his concussive power. Once Joshua begins to outbox Franklin, though, he’ll loosen up and begin landing big shots. Eventually, that will wear down Franklin, and Joshua will get only his second stoppage victory in the past five years. Say Joshua by TKO in the seventh round.