9 hours ago
12
Moses Itauma made another emphatic statement as the British heavyweight prospect became the first fighter to stop Jermaine Franklin.
Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte were both taken the distance in points wins in Franklin’s two previous visits to the UK but the durable American was brutally taken out midway through the fifth round by Itauma in Manchester.
Having knocked his opponent down in the third, Itauma closed the show in spectacular fashion a couple of rounds later, following up a punishing left uppercut with a right hand that sent Franklin crashing to the canvas face first.
The referee, Steve Gray, immediately waved off the contest as Itauma bowed to the sold-out Co-op Live Arena crowd after moving to 14-0, which will only amplify calls for the 21-year-old to fight for a world title next.
Itauma said Franklin was the “final piece of the puzzle” before a world title fight – Oleksandr Usyk and Fabio Wardley hold the four major belts between them – and the Michigan boxer was lined up as an opponent for his robustness.
Itauma was not shy to talk up his chances after the fight, telling Dazn: “I’d love to fight Usyk. There’s a pecking order I need to respect – I’ll wait my turn.
“Thank you very much to the great Manchester crowd, I’ve had a lovely time. I’m happy to get the win. I’ve enjoyed my stay in Manchester, this is actually where I won my first national title. We come here seven years later, I’m picking up a win over Franklin.
“I’ve got to thank Franklin for giving me this opportunity, it takes two to tango. I appreciate it. We will go back to the drawing board and see who’s there. Who’s available? I’ll be back out soon.”
While Franklin absorbed some stinging blows throughout to get some rounds into the legs of Itauma, there was a major gulf in class, with the youngster displaying his superior speed, footwork and all-round ringcraft.
After the masked Mancunian rapper Meekz performed on his ringwalk, Itauma quickly got to work, landing several southpaw lefts that rocked Franklin’s head back, although the underdog remained upright.
The British fighter had stopped his last nine opponents inside two rounds and even though Franklin made it past that benchmark, he soaked up another big left, sticking out his tongue before rallying in the final few seconds.
The American received an eight count towards the end of the the next round after a short right hook behind his ear, having momentarily taken his eye off Itauma when backed up against the ropes.
He recovered well into the fourth but the end came in savage fashion in the next round as Itauma gained another highlight-reel knockout to the delight of the crowd.
Promoter Frank Warren wants Itauma to have one more tune-up before he fights for either the WBC, WBA, IBF or WBO belts later in 2026. “He’ll probably fight in July,” Warren said. “There’s a lot of fights over the next few months, we will sort something out. I’m pretty confident he will fight for a world title this year.”
