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Moses Itauma vs Jermaine Franklin: Preview, Undercard, Odds

Originally posted on KO on SI | By Donal Long | Last updated Mar 27, 2026 4:32 PM ET

Rising star Moses Itauma will put his unbeaten record of 13-0 (11 KOs) on the line on Saturday night as he headlines the 'Maginificent 7' event in Manchester on Saturday night. His opponent for the bout is American boxer Jermaine Franklin Jr. (24-2, 15 KOs), who is aiming to spoil the show.

The pair will meet on March 28, after having their January bout postponed due to an Itauma injury.

Over recent years, Itauma has been highly regarded as one of the brightest up-and-coming fighters in all of boxing, with many dubbing him 'The next Mike Tyson'. Still aged just 21, many believe the British heavyweight is edging closer to a world title.

In his last outing, Itauma passed one of the toughest tests of his career. Facing former world title challenger Dillian Whyte, Itauma passed the challenge with flying colors as he scored a destructive first-round knockout.

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Itauma became just the fourth fighter to defeat Whyte, joining the likes of Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, and Alexander Povetkin.

Since back-to-back points victories in 2023, Itauma has claimed all of his wins via stoppage. On Saturday night, he will look to hand Franklin his first knockout loss.

The '989 Assassin' Franklin has only suffered two career losses thus far. Facing Dillian Whyte and Anthony Joshua in back-to-back matches in 2022 and 2023, both British heavyweights won via points.

Since the loss to Joshua, Franklin has been able to accumulate three wins. A unanimous decision win over Isaac Munoz Gutierrez was followed by a retirement victory over Devin Vargas.

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Last time out, Franklin earned a points victory over Ivan Dychko in September 2025.

In the co-main event, Scotland and England collide as Willy Hutchinson and Ezra Taylor will compete for the vacant WBO global light heavyweight title.