Moses Itauma Vs. Jermaine Franklin Breakdown
Moses Itauma will step into the ring to face Jermaine Franklin on Saturday, as preview the fight.
The fight was postponed after Itauma suffered an undisclosed injury in training camp, meaning it did not happen in January. Itauma enters the ring with a nine-fight knockout streak. His most recent outing in August 2025 saw him stop Dillian Whyte in a first-round knockout in Riyadh.
Meanwhile, Franklin arrives in the UK with a reputation for being “impossible to stop.” His only career blemishes are narrow decision losses to Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte, neither of whom could find a way to put him on the canvas. A victory over Franklin is expected to propel Moses into a WBA or WBO world title eliminator by the end of 2026.
Pre-Fight
“I have to be very, very honest with you, I’ve had a lot of young, really good, talented young fighters at an early age work me,” said Warren during an exclusive chat with DAZN News just days before Itauma faces Franklin. Ricky Hatton, Naz, all of them. And as a heavyweight at his age, I mean, he’s 21 now. At his age, he is without a doubt the most talented and the best I’ve seen at this moment in time.
“And obviously as we step him up, we’ll see. But at this moment in time, I think he’s unbelievable for his age. And I look at all the other heavyweights, how many of them turn pro in their teens? [Mike] Tyson and Daniel Dubois. But other than that, not a lot. I think he’ll be his own man, and I think he’ll pave his own way. And I would really, really like to see him fight for a world title this year,” Frank Warren said
The Approach
Itauma will likely utilize explosive lateral movement to create angles for his southpaw left hand. Because Franklin is notoriously difficult to hit cleanly on the chin due to his high guard and head movement, Itauma may shift his focus to investment in body punching. By digging hooks into Franklin’s midsection early, he can sap the American’s gas tank and force him to drop his hands.
Franklin’s tactical priority will be rhythm disruption. Itauma thrives on a fast pace; Franklin will try to slow the fight down by clinching, leaning his weight on the younger man, and using his “smarts” to frustrate him. Franklin’s best weapon is his counter-right hand, which he timed well against Joshua. He will look to catch Itauma coming in too aggressively.
Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com.
