Dillian Whyte returns to the ring for the first time since his devastating knockout loss to Tyson Fury in April. He faces Jermaine Franklin tonight at the Wembley Arena, London with an Anthony Joshua rematch on the line.
According to promoter Eddie Hearn, the winner of the contest will be the ‘frontrunner’ to face AJ when he next steps under the bright lights in early 2023. Whyte’s opponent, Franklin, is very much an unknown quantity coming into fight night.
The 29-year-old boasts an impressive 21-0 record but hasn’t fought anyone on Whyte’s level as of yet. Exactly how good he is will be answered this evening as he faces one of the most experienced world-level competitors in front of a hostile crowd.
What time is Whyte vs Franklin?
The undercard kicks off at 6pm UK time with Whyte and Franklin expected to make their ring walks at around 10pm.
Full card
Dillian Whyte vs Jermaine Franklin
Fabio Wardley vs Nathan Gorman
Craig Richards vs Ricards Bolotniks
Sandy Ryan vs. Magali Rodriguez
Cheavon Clarke vs Jose Gregorio Ulrich
Pat McCormack vs Christian Nicols Andino
Mark Dickinson vs Gideon Onyenani
George Liddard vs Nikola Matic
Thomas Carty vs Pavlo Krolenko
Quotes
Whyte: “It’s great to be back, doing what I love doing.
“I can’t wait to get into the ring and show the world that when push comes to shove, I can get right back up in Wembley and remind everyone why I was WBC number one for over four years.
“As an undefeated Heavyweight, Franklin is a dangerous guy but I’m going to teach him quite a few lessons on November 26. Most importantly, I’m going to teach him how to lose.”
Franklin: “I’m super hyped to fight in the UK. They love boxing and I plan on making a statement when I beat Dillian.
“I want them to be loud and love my boxing style and have them embrace me as the people’s champ. The world will see the real Jermaine Franklin Jr.”