Dillian Whyte meets Jermaine Franklin in a heavyweight showdown in London tonight, looking to bounce back in boxing’s blue-riband division.
‘The Bodysnatcher’ is hoping to swiftly return to title contention on home soil in London this weekend, seven months removed from his chastening knockout defeat by Tyson Fury.
Whyte had waited so long for his shot at the WBC belt, but barely laid a glove on the reigning champion in front of a packed-out Wembley Stadium before being comprehensively stopped in round six - he still claims illegally.
But the 34-year-old never contemplated retirement and took angry exception to claims from Franklin’s trainer Jesse Addison that he is a “wounded lion wandering the jungle” during Thursday’s fiery pre-fight press conference, then being pulled away from a heated confrontation with promoter Dmitry Salita.
Whyte says his competitive fire is very much still burning and he will hope to prove that against Franklin, the undefeated American with 14 knockouts in 21 wins against lower-calibre opponents across the Atlantic who is stepping up to by far his most testing challenge to date.
Eddie Hearn insists the winner of this fight will receive “millions” in the form of a lucrative showdown with Anthony Joshua in the New Year, an appetising prize indeed for Whyte as he waits for another crack at his long-time rival after previously clashing in the amateurs and in an explosive pro bout back in 2015.
Whyte vs Franklin date, start time, venue and ring walks
Whyte vs Franklin takes place on Saturday November 26, 2022 at The OVO Arena, Wembley in London.
The main undercard is due to begin at 7pm GMT, with ring walks for the main event then expected at approximately 10:30pm.
As ever, those timings are subject to change depending on numerous factors including the length of the build-up fights.
Whyte vs Franklin fight card/undercard in full
The chief support act on Saturday night is a 10-round British heavyweight title clash between Fabio Wardley and Nathan Gorman, while Olympic silver medalist Pat McCormack continues his pro journey and Sandy Ryan defends her women’s WBC International super-lightweight belt.
Dillian Whyte vs Jermaine Franklin
Fabio Wardley vs Nathan Gorman
Pat McCormack vs Christian Nicols Andino
Sandy Ryan vs Anahi Ester Sanchez
Cheavon Clarke vs Jose Gregorio Ulrich
Mark Dickinson vs Gideon Onyenani
George Liddard vs Nikola Matic
Thomas Carty vs Pavlo Krolenko
How to watch Whyte vs Franklin
TV channel and live stream: Saturday night’s bout is being broadcast live on DAZN, with ‘Before the Bell’ coverage from 5:45pm and the main card at 7pm.
DAZN is available across multiple devices including smart televisions and a subscription in the UK currently costs £7.99 per month.
Whyte vs Franklin fight prediction
Whyte did not do himself justice at all against Fury, which was a real shame given just how long he had waited for a shot at the full WBC title.
His desire to quickly get back to winning ways and title contention is obvious, and his aggression at the final press conference said much about his current state of mind and fire for the sport that still rages within.
As long as he can channel that appropriately, he should prove far too much for Franklin on Saturday night.
Though much-hyped in some quarters, the 29-year-old is a relative unknown on these shores and his list of previous opponents leaves a lot to be desired... to say the least.
We’re backing Whyte to emphatically end Franklin’s unbeaten run and secure a delicious New Year rematch with Joshua via a typically explosive knockout, possibly as early as the third round.
Whyte vs Franklin weigh-in results
Whyte was just under half a stone lighter than Franklin when the two men stepped on the scales at a calmer weigh-in on Friday, with each in football colours ahead of the World Cup clash between England and the USA in Qatar.
The Briton weighed in at 17st 13lbs, with the shorter Franklin at 18st 5lbs.
Whyte vs Franklin betting odds
Whyte to win: 1/14
Franklin to win: 6/1
Draw: 30/1
Whyte to win by decision/technical decision: 4/1
Whyte to win by KO, TKO or DQ: 3/10
Franklin to win by decision/technical decision: 13/1
Franklin to win by KO, TKO or DQ: 10/1
Odds via Betfair (subject to change).
