Anthony Joshua‘s former opponent Jermaine Franklin has called out Daniel Dubois on social media – stating he wants to fight DDD on the Ring of Fire undercard on May 18.
Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk were due to go head-to-head in Saudi Arabia last month for the first undisputed title fight in the heavyweight division since 1999, but Fury pulled out after suffering a cut above his right eye in training.
The Gypsy King star sustained the injury while sparring with Agron Smakici and had to have stiches – forcing his historic bout with Usyk to be pushed back until Saturday May 18.
There are several fights on the Ring of Fire undercard yet to be confirmed and Franklin is hoping he can secure a bout with Dubois – who beat Jarrell Miller on the Day of Reckoning undercard on December 23 in Saudi Arabia.
Franklin – who has shared the ring with the likes of Joshua and Dillian Whyte – took to social media to call Dubois out, posting a picture of himself and DDD saying: ‘Let’s get it on’.
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Anthony Joshua ‘s former opponent Jermaine Franklin has called out Daniel Dubois on social media – stating he wants to fight DDD on the Ring of Fire undercard on May 18
Joshua proved to be too much for Franklin – beating him via unanimous decision at the O2 Arena with three judges scoring it 118-111 for Joshua and the other 117-111 in Franklin’s favour
This would not be the first time Franklin has taken part in a high-profile bout. He fought against Whyte at Wembley Arena in November 2022 after the Body Snatcher was beaten by Fury.
Unfortunately for Franklin, he lost the fight Whyte. Michael Alexander scored their bout level at 115-115 while Juergen Landos and Grzegorz Molenda scored the fight 116-112 in favour of British heavyweight.
Although Franklin did not beat Whyte, the bout at Wembley Arena changed the trajectory of his career as he has managed to line up a fight with Great Britain’s golden boy, Joshua.
Speaking ahead of the fight with AJ, Franklin told Sportsmail: ‘It’s most definitely life changing. It’s a life changing experience and it’s a great opportunity. Hopefully it puts me up there with the top boxers. I already feel like I am up there but I have to show the world that I am up there.’
Franklin dropped 23lbs from his points defeat to Whyte in November 2022 and looked visibly learner in the torso and face ahead of his clash with AJ – tipping the scales at just over 234lbs.
Franklin’s weight loss provided a clear indication of his game plan heading into the bout. The American was looking to match Joshua’s output – with the British heavyweight being forced to work 40 per cent harder in his second fight to Oleksandr Usyk than any of his previous fights.
However, Joshua proved to be too much for Franklin – beating him via unanimous decision at the O2 Arena in London with three judges scoring it 118-111 for Joshua and the other 117-111 in Franklin’s favour.
Nevertheless, Franklin is eager to return to winning ways against Dubois – stating he wants to face DDD on the Ring of Fire undercard on May 18.
There are several fights on the Ring of Fire undercard yet to be confirmed and Franklin is hoping he can secure a bout with Dubois – who beat Jarrell Miller on the Day of Reckoning card
