Jermaine Franklin vs Devin Vargas Preview May 24th, 2024
Heavyweight hopeful Jermaine Franklin Jr of Saginaw, Michigan returns to the ring this Thursday, May 24th in nearby Detroit when he takes on veteran Devin Vargas of Toledo, Ohio. The 10-rounder can be seen live in most nations on DAZN. Franklin last fought in July when he beat Isaac Munoz Gutierrez by a 10-round unanimous decision to halt a two-fight losing skid while Vargas was last in the ring in July when he dropped a six-round unanimous decision to Deontae Pettigrew for his fourth straight defeat and second in a row to Pettigrew.
Franklin vs Vargas Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Devin Vargas +1400
- Jermaine Franklin -4000
My Pick
The 30-year-old Franklin climbs through the ropes with a mark of 22-2 with 14 Ko’s and has boxed 133 rounds since making his pro debut in 2015 following an amateur career which saw him win the 2014 USA National Golden Gloves final and lose in the final the previous year. He’s 6-feet-3-inches tall with a 77-inch and possesses pretty good power in his fists with 63.6 per cent of his wins coming by stoppage but has halted just one of his last eight opponents.
Franklin took a step up in class in November, 2022 in his tilt against Dillian Whyte and passed the test as many fans felt he did enough to earn at least a draw but was handed a 12-round majority decision defeat. Of course, a win or draw is almost an impossibility in the UK for a foreign boxer though unless he dominates the proceedings. He then returned to England five months later for his next contest against Anthony Joshua and dropped 12-round unanimous decision.
Franklin then bounced back from those consecutive defeats with his unanimous decision over Gutierrez in his last outing. He has also beaten the likes of Adam Collins, Daniel Allotey, Akhror Muralimov, Tyrell Wright, Cory Phelps, Ed Fountain and Craig Lewis as well as a few recognizable names in Pavel Sour, Jerry Forrest and Rydell Booker. However, he went the distance with all three of them.
Vargas is now 42 years old and came back in September, 2022 after being out of the ring for close to two years. He owns a record of 22-10 with 9 Ko’s and has been stopped in seven of his 10 losses. Those who halted him were; Kevin Jonson in the sixth round in 2009, Andrzej Wawrzyk in the ninth round in 2011, Jason Bergman in the 11th round in 2014, Dominic Breazeale in the third round in 2014, Andy Ruiz in the first round in 2018, Zhilei Zhang in the fourth round in 2020 and Charles Martin in the fourth round in 2022.
The only losses he suffered without being stopped in were a wide 10-round unanimous decision to Junior Fa in 2019 and his last two defeats to Deontae Pettigrew. Vargas has endured long periods of inactivity as he also sat out for two years between September 2009 and September 2011, from September 2011 to March 2014 and from June 2014 to April 2017. In total, Vargas has boxed 143 rounds since turning pro in 2005.
Before that, he enjoyed a fine amateur career as he made it to the quarterfinals of the 2004 Olympics in Greece after winning the Olympic trials. He also won a bronze medal at the 2003 Pan American Games and was the National Golden Gloves Heavyweight Champion in 2000 and 2001 and the US champion in 2003. However, Vargas has been one of those boxers who had trouble adapting to the pro version.
He’s struggled as a pro with his biggest wins coming against the likes of Charles Davis, Boris Shishporenak, Galen Brown, Niall Kennedy, Victor Bisbal and Tommy Washington Jr. Vargas stands just over 6-feet-3-inches tall with a 75.5-inch reach which means he’s a half-inch taller than Franklin but gives up 1.5-inches in reach. He also lacks power with just 40.9 per cent of his wins coming by stoppage with his last one coming in 2019.
Prediction…
Franklin has proven that he doesn’t look out of place with the big boys of the division as he handled himself well against Dillian Whyte and Anthony Joshua. He’s durable with a solid chin and it’s pretty obvious that Vargas has been brought in as a confidence builder for Franklin as he’s expected to lose. A win isn’t really enough here though a Franklin’s power has somewhat deserted him lately. Anything but a victory by stoppage against Vargas will be something of a disappointment.
Franklin’s 12 years younger and a level or two above Vargas at this stage of their careers.
Play: Franklin Jr. -4000 @ BetOnline.ag
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Devin Vargas betting • Jermaine Franklin betting