Josua and Whyte could clash again in 2023 (Picture: Getty)
Eddie Hearn insists American heavyweight Jermaine Franklin will be ‘nailed on’ to fight Anthony Joshua if he stuns Dillian Whyte in their November showdown.
Joshua has pushed his return to the ring back to February or March 2023 with Hearn naming Whyte the ‘frontrunner’ to fight the former champion in a rematch of their 2015 thriller.
Both Joshua and Whyte have eagerly welcomed the prospect of a second meeting – with the former winning their first via a seventh round knockout seven years ago.
‘The Body Snatcher’ however first must overcome the undefeated Franklin on 26 November at Wembley Arena.
Whyte is coming off the back of that devastating knockout defeat to Tyson Fury in April, looking to force his way back into the world title picture.
But if Franklin comes to London gets the upset, Hearn warns it will be him at the top of the queue for a lucrative fight against Joshua.
‘These are the nights they work for, it’s a golden opportunity,’ Hearn told IFL TV. ‘It’s over to him now. If he’s good enough he wins the fight, if he’s not he gets knocked out, but he’s got a chance to change his life.
Franklin will fight Whyte in London on 26 November (Picture: Getty)
‘If he beat Dillian Whyte, he should get a shot at the world heavyweight title so that’s what’s on the line for him.
‘He’s got everything to gain. Not a lot of people know about Jermaine Franklin in the UK, they know about him in American boxing, but people look at this as a comeback fight for Dillian Whyte to get himself prepared for Anthony Joshua or Deontay Wilder.
‘But his team are looking at it as a chance of a lifetime to give them a shot at Anthony Joshua.
‘I mean, if Jermaine Franklin beats Dillian Whyte he’s pretty much nailed on to fight Anthony Joshua and make millions and millions of dollars. So, that’s what he’s fighting for. He’s a hungry young man, he’s never had those kinds of paydays and he’s got a chance to take it.’
29-year-old Franklin has won all 21 of his professional fights, 14 of those via knockout.
While he has recorded wins over savvy, experienced operators in Rydell Booker and Jerry Forrest, he is yet to fight outside of the US and has not come up against someone at the level of Whyte.
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Whyte meets Franklin on 26 November in London.
