Moses Itauma to fight Jermaine Franklin; Set Up for Regular Title Shot
By Eddie Sanchez
Moses Itauma will return to the ring on January 24 in Manchester, England, to face American heavyweight Jermaine Franklin at the Co-Op Live arena.
Itauma (13-0, 11 KO) remains one of the most exciting young fighters in boxing but has struggled this year to find opponents willing to test his power. The 20-year-old has boxed just three rounds in 2025.
His last win came in August against former world title challenger Dillian Whyte, when Itauma delivered another explosive first-round knockout.
He’ll open the new year against Franklin (24-2, 15 KO), whose only two losses came by decision to Whyte and Anthony Joshua. Another stoppage victory for Itauma would stand out as an improvement on both of those results.
“We are thrilled to be delivering such a strong Magnificent 7 card for the fans in our first UK show of 2026,” promoter Frank Warren said. “It is a statement of intent for the new year and a sign of things to come.”
Training under Ben Davison, Itauma has quickly established himself as the next potential face of the heavyweight division and could be in contention for a world title shot in 2026.
The WBA had previously ordered its regular champion, Kubrat Pulev, to defend his belt against Itauma. However, it was later confirmed that Pulev will instead face Murat Gassiev on December 12 in Dubai.
According to Dan Rafael, if Itauma defeats Franklin, his next fight could come against the winner of Pulev vs. Gassiev. Both camps will have until February 9, sixteen days after Itauma’s bout, to reach an agreement. If no deal is made, the fight will go to a purse bid with a 50-50 split.
After a quiet 2025 with only two appearances, more activity will be welcome news for the 20-year-old contender. Itauma has already been linked to a potential showdown with undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.
If, as expected, Itauma gets past Franklin, it’s hard to imagine him traveling to Bulgaria or Russia to face Pulev or Gassiev (32-2, 25 KO).
Should Frank Warren secure the fight for the UK, it would mark Pulev’s third trip to British soil. He lost on both prior visits, to Anthony Joshua and Derek Chisora. Gassiev, meanwhile, has yet to fight professionally in the UK.
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