Tag Archives: Franklin

Posted on 10/07/2019

By: Oliver McManus

Saturday night’s Showtime card became engulfed in controversy when, main event, Claressa Shields vs Ivana Habazin was called off due to a weigh-in altercation. Jaron Ennis bore the burden to perform on his young shoulders and the 22 year old rose to the occasion immaculately.

Fighting against, stocky Argentine, Demian Fernández appeared to represent a step up in the career of Ennis but he paid little attention to that supposition. ‘Boots’ entered the ring wearing a rather outlandish blue (faux) fur gilet of sorts but even that didn’t prove to be a talking point come the end of the fight.

The exciting prospect showcased his explosivity with a third round TKO over his game opponent who ultimately failed to provide the rugged assessment anticipated. Ennis boxed at a canter, looking relaxed in the ring as he worked through the motions, but was willing to fight in Fernandez preferred style.

Standing toe-to-toe, where Fernandez has found considerable success previously, the contest was lively but Ennis always looked comfortable. He was the more polished boxer and was able to accurately pick his shots whereas Fernandez looked more unorthodox and flailing. Having dominated the opening two rounds, the third round saw Ennis apply the pressure and land upwards of a dozen shots to drop the Argentine.

The 22 year old looked merciless in his pursuit of the finish with real vim and vigour applied with Fernandez back into the corner. Vicious right hands were swung with the full weight of his body, twisting into each punch, as he barely let Fernandez breath. Often the term ‘smother’ gets used in reference to ‘a spoiler’ who disrupts the rhythm of a bout but in this case it was Ennis who smothered Fernandez with a relentless work rate.

Fernandez took a knee having been blitzed into submission and, despite getting up at nine, was in no position to continue. Ennis boxed sensationally to record his 24th professional victory and post-fight revealed he may drop to super-lightweight in order to pursue ‘big fights.’

The main bout on the undercard saw Michigan heavyweight Jermain Franklin shake off the cobwebs to record a victory over Pavel Sour. Having underwhelmed against Rydell Booker and Jerry Forrest, the 25 year old was emphatic against his Czech opponent. Sour had never previously boxed at this level and looked over-worked against Franklin from the off.

Having dropped Sour twice – in the sixth and tenth round – Franklin was looking to force the knockout but had to settle for a wide points decision. Questions were answered, to an extent, with this performance as Franklin sported a lighter figure; looking notably more mobile. His power is evident, though untested, and he perhaps got ahead of himself on Saturday night in trying to force the finish but dealt with the task at hand adequately.

The story of the night, in the ring at least, belongs to Jaron Ennis who remains on track as one of the most exciting prospects in America. And those knockouts, well, they show no sign of slowing down any time soon.

Posted on 07/13/2019

By: Ken Hissner

The Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Washington, on Friday night was the host site Forbes ShoBox the New Generation with promoters Brian Halquist Productions and Salita Promotions. Jermaine “989 Assassin” Franklin, of Saginaw, MI, competed against Jerry “Slugger” Forrest in the Main Event.

In the Main Event Jermaine “989 Assassin” Franklin, Jr., 19-0 (13), 240 ¼, of Saginaw, MI, won a split decision over southpaw Jerry “Slugger” Forrest, 25-3 (19), 222 ¾”, of Newport News, VA, over 10 rounds.

In the first round halfway through Franklin had Forrest against the ropes with both having a good exchange until Franklin’s mouthpiece went out.

In the second round both did more boxing than slugging with Forrest having an edge. In the third round Forrest used and effective jab. In the fourth round mostly on the inside Franklin outworked Forresst.

In he fifth round at the halfway mark Franklin flurries while inside. In the sixth round it was close with it going either way. In the seventh round Franklin landed some effective punches to the chin of Forrest.
In the eighth round Forrest seemed to have an edge in an all inside fighting round. In the ninth round Forrest seemed to pull out the round being held by Franklin but landing his free hand, the left, to the head of Franklin.

In the tenth and final round both exhausted fighters let it all hang out with the ten second warning ending the round.

Judge’s Alan Krebs 97-93 Franklin, Tim Wood 96-94 Forrest and Hunter Walton 97-93 Franklin. This writer had it 95-95. Referee was Bobby Howard.

Super Featherweight southpaw Giovanni Cabrera Mioletti, 17-0 (7), 129 ½, of Seattle, WA, via Chicago, IL, defeated Luis Porozo, 14-1 (7), 129 ½, of Santo Domingo, ECU, over 10 rounds.

In the first and second rounds Porozo was much more active than the defense minded Mioletti. In the third round Mioletti suffered a small cut on his left eyebrow. He’s had trouble cutting off the ring. His best punch so far was a left to the chin making Porozo’s legs buckle.

In the fourth round Mioletti finally got in some lead lefts to the chin. In the fifth round Mioletti got in some body shots as Porozo started to slow down. In the sixth round Mioletti had his best round landing more than the running Porozo with the same in the seventh round. That was the first time Porozo went past six rounds.

In the eighth round referee Howard continued warning Porozo for holding. What effective punches landed were by Mioletti. In the ninth round it was more of the same with Mioletti chasing until he got Porozo against the ropes and threw combinations.

In the tenth and final round Mioletti used a good body attack.
Judge’s Krebs 98-92, Wood 98-92 and Walton 97-93, same as this writer all for Mioletti.

Cruiserweight Constantin Bejenaru, 14-0 (4), of Moldova, out of Brooklyn, NY, stopped Jose “Olimpico” Humberto Corral, 20-25 (12), of Sonora, MEX, at 2:02 of the sixth round.