Moses Itauma seeks to put a marker down on his first outing of 2026 against Jermaine Franklin, in a year that could be one of change and transition in the heavyweight division.
As Oleksandr Usyk’s unified heavyweight crown inevitably continues to fracture amid the mandatory demands of the sanctioning bodies, some more of the four major championship belts will come back into rotation.
Itauma’s gymmate Fabio Wardley has already been upgraded to WBO champion following his thrilling win over Joseph Parker at the end of last year and the prodigiously talented 21-year-old is ranked No. 1 by the WBO and WBA, No. 3 by the WBC and No. 7 by the IBF.
Franklin’s only two career defeats have come on his previous outings on British soil, when he dropped a disputed majority decision to Dillian Whyte in November 2022 before dropping a more comprehensive unanimous verdict against Anthony Joshua five months later.
The ‘989 Assassin’ edged past the previously undefeated Ivan Dychko last time out, but Itauma (13-0, 11 KOs) promises to be a different proposition entirely, provided he has recovered well from the bicep tear that forced this fight to be put back from its originally slated January slot.
Since stepping up in class, Itauma’s rapid-fire southpaw skills and exemplary footwork have wrought havoc among the heavyweight division’s gatekeepers. Whyte and Demsey McKean were each cleaned out inside a round, while Mike Balogun and Mariusz Wach didn’t make it out of the second.
The hope from those in the Itauma business will be that Franklin (24-2, 15 KOs) gives this red-hot prospect vital learning rounds. If Itauma becomes the first fighter to stop the Michigan man and does so in style, then any attempts to pump will be futile. Itauma feels destined for a full-speed assault on the summit of boxing’s glamour division.
MORE: Where does Moses Itauma rank on The Sporting News’ 25 under 25?
Moses Itauma vs. Jermaine Franklin full card results
- Moses Itauma vs. Jermaine Franklin; heavyweights
- Willy Hutchinson vs. Ezra Taylor; light heavyweights
- Liam Davies vs. Francesco Grandelli for the vacant European featherweight title
- Shakiel Thompson vs. Brad Pauls; middleweights
- Nathan Heaney vs. Gerome Warburtin; middleweights
- Michael Gomez Jr. Jordan Flynn; lightweights
- Nelson Birchall vs. Ryan Griffiths for the vacant English featherweight title
- Alex Murphy vs. Josh Holmes; lightweights
- Aadam Hamed vs. Michael Mooney; super lightweights
- Billy Deniz vs. Grant Dennis; super middleweights
- John Joe Carrigan vs. Danny Costello; super welterweights
Moses Itauma vs. Jermaine Franklin start time
- Date: Saturday, March 28
- Start time: 3:10 p.m. GMT
- Main card start time: 5 p.m. GMT
- Main event start time (approx.): 10:30 p.m. GMT
- Location: Co-op Live – Manchester
Moses Itauma vs. Jermaine Franklin tune-in info
Moses Itauma vs. Jermaine Franklin will be available on DAZN.
A monthly subscription costs £9.99 on a 12-month contract or £19.99 month-to-month. An annual subscription will cost £99.99.
Alternatively, fans can sign up to the new DAZN Ultimate subscription tier, which costs £22.99 per month – rising to £24.99 after 12 months – and includes a minimum of 12 pay-per-view events every year at no extra cost.
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