Jermaine Franklin Beats Issac Munoz, Shows He’s Still Dangerous

Jermaine Franklin (22-2, 14 KOs) broke out of a two-fight losing streak last weekend, defeating Isaac Munoz (17-1-1) in a lopsided decision victory. 

It’s good to see the American back in the win column. He suffered back-to-back defeats from British fighters over the last several months. Franklin first faced top ten heavyweight Dillian Whyte, losing a close decision that many thought Franklin won. He then was beaten much more convincingly by Anthony Joshua. This fight showed that the gap in skill between the top four heavyweights and the rest of the roster is very large. 

Judge Gerard White and Dave DeJonnge scored the bout 100-90, while Katealia Chambers scored it 99-91, all in favor of Jermaine Franklin. The match was a great display of boxing skill from Franklin, and it was exciting to see him get a win back in his hometown of Detroit. 

Franklin v Munoz Fight Breakdown

From the opening bell, the gap in skill was evident. Despite Munoz’s decent record, he looked like a fish out of water under the lights. 

Franklin led the bout from the beginning, working behind a smart jab and pushing in right hands at every given opportunity. Munoz just wasn’t able to set up anything or get past the jab that Franklin landed all night. 

In round three, Jermaine Franklin landed a crisp uppercut flush on Munoz’s chin. Munoz showed incredible durability as he was able to withstand the shot and made it back to his stool without taking a knee. 

Munoz also showed weakness to the body, which Franklin exposed in the first half of the fight. However, despite his corner’s advice, the American didn’t capitalize on this weakness and opted to continue throwing combinations to the chin, instead of the body. 

Franklin was in danger only once during the fight. This came after a huge left hook, right-hand combination thrown by the Mexican landed in round eight. Franklin showed defensive savvy and was able to make it to his corner at the end of the round. He then responded excellently in the next round, sending Munoz flying to the ropes with a cracking body shot. Round nine was definitely Franklin’s best round, and Munoz simply didn’t have anything left in the tank to respond to Franklin’s punches. 

In fairness to him, Munoz was a last-minute replacement for this fight, as Jermaine Franklin’s original opponent, Junior Wright, pulled out unexpectedly just days before the bout. The fact that Isaac made it to the final bell, despite not being fully prepared, is a testament to his boxing ability. 

Franklin’s Thoughts on The Fight

Despite looking sharp in the ring, Franklin wasn’t very impressed with his performance. In a post-fight interview with IFL TV, he had this to say:

“I feel like I had a decent performance.  I feel like I could have did more. I’m adjusting to a new style, trying to be more aggressive, trying not to hold back so much and let the hands go,”

“I hit hard, and I was like, ‘I want to kill you’ when I need to just relax and set the punches up. When I hit him with an uppercut, I was instantly like a deer in the headlights. I’m like, ‘What can I hit him with again?’

Many commentators suggested that Jermaine needed a decisive knockout to prove that he had recovered from his losses. In response, Jermaine Franklin stated:

“Being aggressive and staying poised in those types of situations because I felt like I could have gotten the job done if I wasn’t rushing it into the bombing.

What’s Next for Jermaine Franklin?

To continue this trajectory, Jermaine Franklin should look to take on another heavyweight this year. Currently, the top guys are all engaged with title fights and mandatories, but there is still plenty of talent like Wallin and Adeleye that Franklin could take on. Alternatively, should DuBois lose to Usyk, we may see him take on the American.

Franklin made it clear that he wants to fight a top 15 opponent, and he doesn’t care about maintaining a perfect record:

“What you said about the O, that’s the new era of boxing. I’m in the era, but I’m in the old era when the guys fought real guys. When you took a loss to Tommy Hearns or Sugar Ray Leonard, who is going to complain about that? You just lost to a legend and future Hall of Famer.”

He has already faced three different opponents in the last 8 months. Continuing to fight regularly is going to put the American in line for a title shot. 

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