Weights from London: A Career-High 255.4 For Joshua, 234 For Franklin! Watch LIVE on DAZN tomorrow
The official weights are in for tomorrow’s heavyweight bout between former two-time heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua and once-beaten contender Jermain Franklin. Joshua, looking solid as a wall, came in at a little over the 255 pound mark, 255.4 being the career-highest poundage of Joshua’s career. By contrast, Franklin, who came in at 234 pounds, has slimmed down from his previous fights.
Both men do look to be in fantastic physical condition. Some fans may feel that AJ, with the added muscle, will be in a seek and destroy frame of mind tomorrow night. Under new trainer Derrick James, Joshua needs a good, ‘I’m Back’ type of performance and with those 255 pounds he may well get it.
Franklin, so much the lighter guy, may have a game plan where the idea is to take Joshua into the later rounds and then, the muscled fighter’s gas tank sufficiently depleted, try and capitalise and take over the fight. We will have to wait and see.
Joshua, however, has been criticised for being too heavy in fights earlier in his career and it could well be that some experts will feel Joshua has made a mistake by coming in too heavy for this, a genuine must-win affair. Will Joshua be able to carry those 255 pounds for all 12 rounds if he has to do so?
Franklin’s trainer, Lorenzo Reynolds, told Sportsmail after today’s weigh-in that saw his man come in some 23 pounds lighter than he weighed for his losing fight with Dillian Whyte back in November, that he is happy with the light weight. A “strict diet” has been given as the main reason for Franklin’s lower poundage.
So, both guys have clearly put the work in in the gym, both men know they need to win, and now we can look forward to what we hope will be an exciting fight.
Joshua is the pick to win, and he may well come out with an destruct and destroy attitude. However, if Joshua does expend a lot of energy and he is not able to put Franklin away, thing could become very interesting.
Weights: Anthony Joshua 255.4 vs. Jermaine Franklin 234.12
Fabio Wardley 242.6 vs. Michael Polite-Coffie 269.4
Galal Yafai 113.8 vs. Moises Calleros 114.2
Campbell Hatton 139.12 vs. Louis Fiedling 138.6
Austin Williams 162.8 vs. River Wilson-Bent 162.7
Peter Kadiru 239.3 vs. Alen Lauriolle 273.2