6ft9 Kazakh tower Ivan Dychko has been parked in boxing purgatory for years — a two-time Olympic bronze medalist who ended up as everyone’s sparring partner. That’s his claim to fame. You’ve probably seen him in Klitschko’s gym, or in the background of an AJ camp photo, not actually headlining anything meaningful.
And then there’s Jermaine Franklin Jr. The “credible heavyweight” who’s been passed around like an old heavy bag. He gave Whyte a scare. He gave Joshua rounds. Translation: he loses but looks respectable doing it. He’s the definition of a gatekeeper. His biggest strength? Being too damn stubborn to fall over when a bigger guy is trying to take his head off.
Dychko: All Height, All Hype
Dychko’s whole aura is built on being tall and knocking out guys who’d struggle to get booked on a Misfits undercard. 15 wins, 14 KOs, but not one over anyone you’d actually remember without BoxRec in your lap. He’s 35, still being called a “prospect,” which is the boxing equivalent of being 40 and still calling yourself an up-and-coming rapper. He’ll jab, he’ll paw, he’ll eventually land a right hand, and the commentary will pretend it means something.
Franklin: The Professional Survivor
Franklin’s career goal is to make bigger names look like trash. That’s it. He doesn’t stop anyone. He doesn’t excite anyone. But he’s durable enough that when he loses, promoters say “hey, he gave him rounds.” That’s his brand. He’s been dining out on that Whyte fight for years, and now he’s being fed to a 6ft9 science experiment.
My Prediction: Misery With a KO Ending
This “50-50” fight is actually a nightmare to watch. Franklin will cover up, roll, and jab in spurts while Dychko plods behind him like a forklift. But eventually, size wins. Dychko lands something clean, Franklin folds late, and everyone pretends we learned something about the Kazakh.
Who else is on the Canelo vs. Crawford preliminary card?
- Serhii Bohachuk (26-2, 24 KOs) vs Brandon Adams (25-4, 16 KOs) – Middleweight
- Ivan Dychko (15-0, 14 KOs) vs Jermaine Franklin (23-2, 15 KOs) – Heavyweight
- Reito Tsutsumi (2-0, 1 KO) vs Javier Martinez (7-2, 4 KOs) – Super featherweight
- Sultan Almohamed (debut) vs Martin Caraballo (0-0-1) – Super lightweight
- Steven Nelson (20-1, 16 KOs) vs Raiko Santana (12-4, 6 KOs) – Light heavyweight
- Marco Verde (2-0, 2 KOs) vs Sona Akale (pro debut) – Catchweight (162 lbs)
Main card (Netflix at 9 p.m. ET)
- Canelo Alvarez -165 vs. Terence Crawford +130, undisputed super middleweight title
- Callum Walsh -335 vs. Fernando Vargas Jr. +240, junior middleweights
- Christian M’billi -205 vs. Lester Martinez +150, interim WBC super middleweight title
- Mohammed Alakel -3000 vs. John Ornelas +1100, lightweights