Jermaine Franklin in action on Shields-Hammer card
In a report first mentioned by Boxing Scene, Showtime Sports is bringing us a day in the life of top American heavyweight prospect Jermaine Franklin (17-0, 13 KOs) as he prepares for his national television debut against former No.1-ranked U.S. amateur Rydell Booker (25-1, 13 KOs) in a 10-round co-feature on SHOWTIME BOXING: SPECIAL EDITION this Saturday, April 13 (9:10 p.m. ET/PT) from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. The card is headlined by middleweight champions Claressa Shields and Christina Hammer who will battle in a unification bout.
Franklin hopes to show that he’s primed to become the next American heavyweight champion, and is ready to take the mantle from current WBC titlist Deontay Wilder and the long line of American heavyweight champions that came before him.
“I feel like America should start paying attention to me because I’m the next face of the heavyweight division,” says Franklin in the 10-minute video feature. “They should be a part of greatness because I’m going to shock the world. I’m unbeatable. I’m unstoppable. I feel like I’m the best heavyweight prospect, period.”
In the midst of training camp in preparation for his SHOWTIME debut, the 25-year-old relies on his family, faith and community support in his hometown of Saginaw, Mich.
“It’s always great to have that support. It makes you work harder because you’re doing it for more than yourself. You’re doing it for other people. My community supports me. It was a little rough here growing up but everywhere has rough patches so we overcome. I love this community. I think it’s time to promote change and we can help a lot of people in this city.”
He’s going to be one to keep an eye one in this card besides the women’s championship. Booker will be a step up for him but Booker is 38 and is more known for his match that was his only loss against James Toney back in 2004. “Rock N’ Rydell” was incarcerated for possession of cocaine with intent to deliver over 1000 grams in 2004. He has since been released and been on a comeback into the ring, winning 3 straight in 2018 heading into his match with Franklin.
Marquis Johns is a unknown humorist and avid boxing fan. His love for the sweet science goes back to when matches were 15 rounds and has been covering fights since closed-circuit pay-per-views. Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth is not only a quote by Mike Tyson, it's also a pretty good reminder to keep your guard up.
