Moses Itauma vs. Jermaine Franklin full card results from 2026 heavyweight boxing showdown

Moses Itauma seeks to put a marker down on his first outing of 2026 against Jermaine Franklin, in a year that could be one of change and transition in the heavyweight division. As Oleksandr Usyk's unified heavyweight crown inevitably continues to fracture amid the mandatory demands of the sanctioning bodies, some more of the four major championship belts will come back into rotation. Itauma's gymmate Fabio Wardley has already been upgraded to WBO champion following his thrilling win over Joseph Parker at the end of last year and the prodigiously talented 21-year-old is ranked No.

1 by the WBO and WBA, No. 3 by the WBC and No. 7 by the IBF.

Franklin's only two career defeats have come on his previous outings on British soil, when he dropped a disputed majority decision to Dillian Whyte in November 2022 before dropping a more comprehensive unanimous verdict against Anthony Joshua five months later. The '989 Assassin' edged past the previously undefeated Ivan Dychko last time out, but Itauma (13-0, 11 KOs) promises to be a different proposition entirely, provided he has recovered well from the bicep tear that forced this fight to be put back from its originally slated January slot. Since stepping up in class, Itauma's rapid-fire southpaw skills and exemplary footwork have wrought havoc among the heavyweight division's gatekeepers.

Whyte and Demsey McKean were each cleaned out inside a round , while Mike Balogun and Mariusz Wach didn't make it out of the second. The hope from those in the Itauma business will be that Franklin (24-2, 15 KOs) gives this red-hot prospect vital learning rounds. If Itauma becomes the first fighter to stop the Michigan man and does so in style, then any attempts to pump will be futile.