Sept. 13 could set the stage for another heavyweight contender to emerge.
Ivan Dychko, a 6-foot-9, undefeated knockout artist from Kazakhstan, will face the toughest test of his career when he takes on
Jermaine Franklin Jr. on the undercard of
Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Netflix.
In light of the magnitude of the show and the opponent, Dychko believes he’ll be entering a new stratosphere in his career.
“I think that this is a new level for me,” Dychko told The Ring via a translator. “This is a big event in the world, and this is a big event for me.”
“He has good experience [and] he has some good skills. I am preparing for a good fight,” Dychko added.
Dychko (15-0, 14 KOs) was a decorated amateur and had served as a sparring partner for former heavyweight champions
Wladimir Klitschko,
Anthony Joshua, and
Deontay Wilder, plus former title challenger Luis Ortiz. However, his career has been marred by inactivity since entering the pro ranks in 2017. After fighting nine times from 2017 to 2019, Dychko, 35, fought only six times from 2021 to this year. And in that span, he fought more than once only in 2021.
His bout against Franklin (23-2, 15 KOs) will mark just the first time since then that he’s had more than one fight in a calendar year. In his last bout, on July 19, Dychko knocked Samuel Crossed out in the first round. Of his 14 wins inside the distance, eight have come in the first round.
Franklin, 31, has won two straight since suffering the lone losses of his career, decision defeats to Joshua and former title challenger
Dillian Whyte.
Given the stakes, Dychko knows his fight against Franklin is the most important of his career. And with opportunity at hand, Dychko believes that he’ll deliver the kind of performance that’ll earn him the big fights he seeks.
“It's going to be an important fight in my career,” Dychko said. “It may be a hard fight, but emotionally, I'm calm, I'm relaxed. I don’t feel pressure. … The fans will see beautiful boxing and a beautiful KO from me.“