Anthony Joshua appeared at the peak of his career, Jermaine Franklin was at a better weight than his previous fights.
The boxers weighed Friday afternoon for their heavyweight bout Saturday night at the O2 Arena in London (DAZN), with Joshua at 255.4 pounds and Franklin at 234.1.
That’s the highest Joshua (24-3, 22 KOs)) has considered for any fight but not by much. He weighed 254.0 when he met Carlos Takam in 2017. He weighed 244.5 in his most recent bout, a decisive loss in a rematch against the relatively small, nimble Oleksandr Usyk in August.
Franklin (21-1, 14 KOs) will be the lightest since he weighed 231.5 against Pavel Sour in 2019, after which he left the sport over two years.
He came back much heavier, 277.5 for his return match against Rodney Moore last May and 257.0 for the game against Dillian Whyte which he received late notice in November. Whyte by a controversial majority decision.
The native of Saginaw, Michigan, is now back in shape.
📋 The results of the career of Anthony Joshua:
⚖️ vs Klitschko – 250 lbs
⚖️ vs Takam – 254 lbs
⚖️ vs Parker – 242lbs
⚖️ vs Povetkin – 246.3 lbs
⚖️ vs Ruiz I – 247.8 lbs
⚖️ vs Ruiz II – 237lbs
⚖️ vs. Pulev – 240.8 lbs
⚖️ vs Usyk – 240 lbs
⚖️ vs Usyk II – 244½lbs
⚖️ vs Franklin – 255.4 lbs– Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) March 31, 2023
[Lawrence-related id=36426,36420,36412,36392]
