Ivan Dychko isn’t the biggest name Jermaine Franklin has ever faced, but the stage he’s on requires his complete focus.

The lights will be the brightest they've ever been come Sept. 13 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Although Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford will headline the card in a super middleweight megafight, Franklin refuses to be an afterthought.

Taking down an undefeated behemoth like Dychko has pushed Franklin during training camp. That sense of direction and singular goal allowed preparation to go extremely well. Now however, Dychko is no longer the center of his attention.

Recently, Franklin revealed that his father passed away.

Devastated, the heavyweight contender was forced to deal with the reality that his biggest supporter was no longer by his side. Although he’s known for his toughness and willingness to keep moving forward despite heavy punches being hurled in his direction, the loss of his father stopped him in his tracks.

“It’s been rough,” Franklin told The Ring. “It’s been really rough.”

Franklin (23-2, 15 KOs) needs time to grieve and heal, but the clock is rapidly ticking toward fight night. Opportunities such as these don’t come every day. And while he would love nothing more than to hug and kiss his family while shunning the rest of the world, he knows that wouldn't be the right decision.

“I would like to spend time with my family, but I know my dad would want me to continue,” Franklin said. “So in honor of him, I’ll push on. It’s still very tough but I’m still a boxer and at the end of the day, boxing doesn’t wait on anybody.”

Franklin remembers the two-fight losing streak he endured against Dillian Whyte and Anthony Joshua. Those losses powered him to his current two-fight winning run.

Dychko (15-0, 14 KOs) isn’t well-known and needs a win over a recognizable contender to legitimize himself to the public. Franklin has never been known as a knockout artist. However, the recent loss of his father has noticeably changed him.

Losing has never been an option, and with his father watching from above, it certainly isn’t now.

“It puts you in another mental state as far as aggression and attitude,” Franklin said. “I want to honor him.”