“You’re not going to get the same respect everywhere you go,” Franklin said to DAZN Boxing. “Don’t look for no judge. Don’t look for no ref. Be prepared to dog it out in any situation.”
That mindset shapes how he sees the Itauma fight this Saturday. The 21-year-old prospect is being moved quickly and carries momentum into the bout, and Franklin understands what that usually means if the rounds are tight. He isn’t talking about edges or interpretations. He’s talking about avoiding the situation altogether.
“It’s going to be difficult,” Franklin said of the possibility of winning a decision. “But I feel like if I can dominate in a great fashion, they won’t have no choice.”
That is a different kind of target, as he is not aiming to win rounds but to remove any doubt. Franklin has spent much of his career being treated as an opponent rather than a destination. Even going into this fight, much of the discussion has centred on how many rounds he might give Itauma rather than whether he can win. He says he is used to it.
“I’ve been slighted my whole career,” Franklin said. “A lot of that is just words to me.”
There is no attempt to correct the narrative, and instead, he works around it, a mindset that also reflects how he sees his position in the division. Franklin believes he has already been near the top once and is now trying to get back there, rather than breaking through for the first time. A win over Itauma would be a reset to where he thinks he already belongs.
At 30, and after periods of inactivity, he sees himself as a fighter with fewer miles on him than most at the same stage. That is part of why he has taken this fight against a younger opponent who is still building. He does not expect anything to be given to him in the process.
Franklin’s read on the situation is candid. If he lets the fight stay close, he risks losing control of it once it goes to the cards. That is the part he is trying to remove.
Jermaine is trying to avoid the cards entirely, aiming for a result that leaves no room for debate.
Itauma (13-0, 11 KOs) faces Franklin (24-2, 15 KOs) in a 10-round fight this Saturday, March 28th, at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, England. The event will be streamed on DAZN.
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