Moses Itauma vs Jermaine Franklin Jr: Full Fight Card Preview

Published March 24, 2026 at 11:16 am

Written by Jimmy Johnson

Moses Itauma will face arguably the sternest test of his professional career when he takes on Jermaine Franklin Jr on March 28 at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester.

Following his one-round annihilation of Dillian Whyte back in August, Itauma will make his return to the ring – but Franklin won’t make it easy for the 21-year-old.

In his last bout, Franklin defeated Kazakhstani powerhouse Ivan Dychko by unanimous decision. The result was highly contested, with many believing that Dychko has done enough to win, but Franklin’s veteran instincts allowed him to stay in the fight and steal rounds.

Will Itauma prove to be a different beast? We have been searching for someone who can give him rounds – but we’ll have to see if Franklin is the man to do it.

Moses Itauma vs Jermaine Franklin Jr Preview

Most of Itauma’s fights in the professional ranks have not lasted more than two rounds. The likes of Mariusz Wach, Mike Balogun and the aforementioned Dillian Whyte all fell with the first couple of rounds – as such, we’d be disappointed to see Franklin go the same way.

Most audiences are not debating on who will win this fight. Instead, most of the attention is being put towards Itauma’s method of victory – but we should not be so quick to write Franklin off.

A veteran of the ring, Franklin has plenty of tricks up his sleeve. He is very good at disrupting his opponents’ rhythm, flicking out jabs and shooting into clinches while his opposite number looks to mount an attack. As such, he’s an awkward opponent to face – made all the more so by his rock-solid chin.

Nevertheless, we think Itauma will win this – furthermore, we think he will do it within six rounds. Franklin is tough, but Itauma’s ability to open up a tight guard and make his opponents panic is phenomenal.

Furthermore, Franklin isn’t a particularly big puncher. He has 15 of his 24 victories have come by way of knockout – furthermore, he only has three wins within the distance since 2018. As such, the American will not be able to keep Itauma at bay for long.

Undercard bouts

The chief support bout on the undercard is Willy Hutchinson vs Ezra Taylor. This is a brilliant fight to have been made – it’s a classic example of boxer vs puncher.

Hutchinson has much more experience under his belt, but Taylor’s power and timing could give the Scot problems. Hutchinson is the clear favourite, but ‘The Cannon’ shouldn’t be so readily overlooked.

Additionally, Telford’s Liam Davies is also back in action – he will take on Francesco Grandelli for the vacant EBU European Featherweight title.

The full list of undercard bouts on the Moses Itauma vs Jermain Franklin Jr show on March 28 is as follows: