Moses Itauma faces Jermaine Franklin on Saturday, March 28, at Co-op Live in Manchester, England. The contest headlines the Queensberry card titled The Magnificent 7. The bout is scheduled for 10 rounds at heavyweight.
The two fighters were originally scheduled to square off in January, but the fight was postponed after Itauma suffered an injury in training.
- Slovakian-born British 21-year-old southpaw Itauma (13-0, 11 KOs) comes off a first-round TKO victory over Dillian Whyte last August.
- 32-year-old Franklin (24-2, 15 KOs) of Saginaw, Michigan, scored a decision against Ivan Dychko last September, securing his third win in a row since suffering losses to Anthony Joshua and Whyte.
The Itauma vs Franklin undercard includes:
- Willy Hutchinson (19-2, 14 KOs) vs. Ezra Taylor (13-0, 9 KOs), light heavyweight
- Liam Davies (17-1, 8 KOs) vs. Francesco Grandelli (21-4-2, 6 KOs), featherweight
- Shakiel Thompson (15-0, 11 KOs) vs. Brad Pauls (20-2-1, 11 KOs), middleweight
- Nathan Heaney (19-1-1, 6 KOs) vs. Gerome Warburton (16-2-2, 2 KOs), middleweight
- Nelson Birchall (10-0, 7 KOs) vs. Ryan Griffiths (8-1-3), featherweight
- Michael Gomez Jnr (21-2, 6 KOs) vs. Jordan Flynn (13-1-1, 2 KOs), lightweight
- Alex Murphy (14-2) vs. Josh Holmes (17-0, 6 KOs), lightweight
Itauma vs Franklin results
Main card
- Moses Itauma def. Jermaine Franklin by TKO (R5, 1:33) | Watch video
- Gerome Warburton def. Nathan Heaney by unanimous decision (97-93, 98-92, 97-93)
- Willy Hutchinson def. Ezra Taylor by unanimous decision (98-92, 99-91, 98-92)
- Brad Pauls def. Shakiel Thompson by TKO (R9, 1:30)
- Liam Davies def. Francesco Grandelli by RTD (R6, 3:00)
- Josh Holmes def. Alex Murphy by TKO (R1, 3:09)
- Michael Gomez Jnr def. Jordan Flynn by TKO (R3, 1:54)
Prelims
- Nelson Birchall def. Ryan Griffiths by TKO (R9, 0:53)
- Aadam Hamed def. Michael Mooney by points (40-36)
- John Joe Carrigan def. Danny Costello by TKO (R3, 1:22)
Post-lim
- Billy Deniz def. Grant Dennis by unanimous decision
Itauma vs Franklin live blog
Moses Itauma TKOs Jermaine Franklin in fifth round
Moses Itauma (14-0, 12 KOs) defeats Jermaine Franklin (24-3, 15 KOs) by fifth-round TKO at heavyweight. The stoppage came at 1:33 of the round.
On his way to victory, Itauma sent Franklin to the canvas in both the third and fifth rounds.
With the win, Itauma retains his WBO Intercontinental title.
Gerome Warburton defeats Nathan Heaney by decision
Gerome Warburton (17-2-2, 2 KOs) defeats Nathan Heaney (19-2-1, 6 KOs) by unanimous decision at middleweight. After 10 rounds, the judges scored the fight 97-93, 98-92, and 97-93.
Willy Hutchinson defeats Ezra Taylor by decision
Willy Hutchinson (20-2, 14 KOs) defeats Ezra Taylor (13-1, 9 KOs) by unanimous decision at light heavyweight. After 10 rounds, the judges scored the fight 98-92, 99-91, and 98-92.
With the win, Hutchinson claims the vacant WBO “Global” title.
Brad Pauls TKOs Shakiel Thompson in ninth round
Brad Pauls (21-2-1, 12 KOs) defeats Shakiel Thompson (15-1, 11 KOs) by ninth-round TKO at middleweight. The stoppage came at 1:30 of the round, with Pauls sending Thompson to the canvas twice.
With the win, Pauls claims the vacant IBF International title.
Liam Davies stops Francesco Grandelli in six rounds
Liam Davies (18-1, 9 KOs) defeats Francesco Grandelli (21-5-2, 6 KOs) by sixth-round RTD at featherweight. On his way to victory, Davies sent Grandelli to the canvas in the fourth round.
With the win, Davies claims the EBU European and WBO Intercontinental titles.
Josh Holmes KOs Alex Murphy in first round
Josh Holmes (18-0, 7 KOs) defeats Alex Murphy (14-3) by first-round knockout at lightweight. The official time was 3:09 of the round. On his way to victory, Holmes twice sent Murphy to the canvas.
Michael Gomez Jnr TKOs Jordan Flynn in third round
In the main card opener, Michael Gomez Jnr (22-2, 7 KOs) defeats Jordan Flynn (13-2-1, 2 KOs) by third-round TKO at lightweight. The referee stepped in at 1:54 of the round.
How to watch and start time
Itauma vs Franklin airs live on DAZN. The start time in the U.S. is 1:00 p.m. ET / 10:00 a.m. PT. The local start time in the UK is 5:00 p.m. GMT.
The prelims begin at 11:00 a.m. ET / 0:00 a.m. PT in the U.S. and 3:00 p.m. GMT in the UK.
The blog feed with live results, video highlights, and photos will cover the main card. You can watch the free prelims below, with results added as the stream ends.