By Daily Sports Nigeria on March 31, 2026

Title talk is growing louder around Moses Itauma after the unbeaten British heavyweight sensation delivered another stunning knockout performance, this time stopping the previously undropped and never-stopped Jermaine Franklin in five rounds on Saturday night in Manchester.

The 21-year-old, widely regarded as the most exciting heavyweight prospect in world boxing, floored the rugged American with a devastating uppercut in the fifth round that put the contest beyond doubt before Franklin even hit the canvas, with the referee waving it off immediately.

It was a statement victory that has left the boxing world buzzing about Itauma’s future, with World Boxing Organisation president Gustavo Olivieri confirming after the bout that he would recommend the Briton be named mandatory challenger for the WBO heavyweight title. Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois are scheduled to contest that belt on May 9.

Franklin, who had previously taken Anthony Joshua the distance and many felt deserved the decision over Dillian Whyte in 2022, arrived in Manchester a stone heavier than Itauma and entered the ring to loud boos from a crowd that had come solely to witness the heir to Mike Tyson’s throne.

From the opening bell, Itauma, who had blitzed Whyte in two minutes last year, went straight to work, jabbing at Franklin’s head while driving long straight left hands into his body. Franklin, to his credit, refused to back down easily.

He fired back with jabs and right hands and, when clipped, defiantly stuck his tongue out at the youngster.

A rasping right hook dropped Franklin in the third, but the American bounced back to his feet inside three seconds and continued swinging. He survived the fourth, too, with his toughness earning grudging admiration even from those who knew the end was inevitable.

The finish came in the fifth. A right hook that would have finished most fighters barely slowed Franklin down, but a perfectly timed Tyson-esque uppercut knocked him out cold where he stood.

With the win sealed, Itauma’s promoter Frank Warren wasted no time in laying out his ambitions, declaring his desire to match his fighter against undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.

“Don’t you think we’d sell out Wembley Stadium if Moses Itauma fought Usyk there? We’d fill it five or six times over right now,” Warren said. “I really think that fight should happen, and it could be ordered. Itauma is something special. At this point, he is the best of anyone I’ve ever come across in the heavyweight division, without any doubt.”

Itauma himself remained measured, acknowledging the pecking order in the division while making clear he has no intention of standing still.

“Usyk has earned the right to do whatever he wants. There’s a hierarchy that I obviously have to respect. I don’t pay attention to it. I really don’t care what other heavyweights think or feel. I know the truth, and I know what I’m capable of. I just have to go out there and show it,” he said.

The win, Itauma’s 14th professional stoppage, came in front of a roaring Manchester crowd and extended what is fast becoming one of the most compelling knockout streaks in heavyweight boxing history.

Source Punch Ng

Posted March 31, 2026

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