Franklin vs Vargas Predictions: ‘989 Assassin’ in for a short night

Jermaine Franklin returns to the ring on Thursday, May 23 against Devin Vargas. The heavyweight 10-rounder takes place at the Wayne State Fieldhouse in Detroit Michigan. The fight is available to watch on DAZN.

Here are my Franklin vs Vargas predictions as heavyweight boxing rolls into The Motor City.

Franklin is not accustomed to being the favourite in a fight. Two of his last three bouts have seen the ‘989 Assassin’ bravely take on big name opponents in order to make a mark in the division. 

First, Franklin lost a controversial majority decision to Dillian Whyte at Wembley Arena. Then he followed that up with another away assignment. The American took Anthony Joshua the 12-round distance at the O2 Arena in April 2023. Despite losing both fights, the performances Franklin entered against world-ranked contenders put him on many people’s radar.

Franklin now seeks a second win in succession, having returned with a unanimous decision over Isaac Munoz Gutierrez last time out. The Michigan native knows that if he is to make any headway in this stacked division, brave losses aren’t enough. He needs to work his way up to scoring some big wins.

On paper, Vargas’ 22-10 record is nothing special. But the majority of those losses were caused by some of the division’s biggest stars. The 42-year-old has been beaten by former world champions Andy Ruiz Jr and Charles Martin as well as title challengers like Dominic Breazeale and former WBO interim title-holder Zhilei Zhang.

From what we have seen, Franklin deserves to be categorised with the men who have vanquished Vargas. ‘989 Assassin’ was unlucky not to beat Whyte and, while Joshua dominated their fight, Franklin would hear the final bell. Wins over Jerry Forrest and Rydell Booker aren’t the sort of thing you hang a world class CV on, but they are solid nonetheless. Franklin has more than enough in the tank to beat Vargas.

I think he will do it comfortably, too. Martin, Zhang, Ruiz and Breazeale have all stopped him in four rounds or less. I reckon that Franklin is on course to do the same. I’m picking Franklin to get the job done in rounds 1-5 at 8/11. This has “quick win” written all over it. Vargas might have mixed with the best, but he has always been cannon fodder when he has faced top fighters.

As for where Franklin goes after this, there is one inevitable path for a modern heavyweight. For better or worse, Saudi Arabia is where you go if you’re a big man looking to make waves. 

Look at Agit Kabayel. His last two fights in the kingdom, wins over Arslanbek Makhmudov and Frank Sanchez, have propelled him from anonymity to the brink of title contention. Joseph Parker’s career revival has taken place largely in Riyadh, with victories over Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang seeing him close in on another world title. 

Franklin should do everything he can to go the same route. It isn’t an easy living. They match you tough over there. But the rewards are potentially vast. Franklin will fight big names exclusively. After his efforts against Joshua and Whyte, he has proven he can hang at that level. Perhaps stepping into the Saudi scene can help Franklin prove he can win there too.

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