Moses Itauma surprised even himself with huge KO of Jermaine Franklin: 'I was trying to make a statement'
Itauma’s highlight-reel knockout this past Saturday stole the headlines on a busy weekend of combat sports.
Moses Itauma’s highlight-reel knockout of Jermaine Franklin Jr. this past Saturday stole the headlines on a busy weekend of combat sports. In an impressive showing, Itauma bettered the efforts of his British compatriots Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte by becoming the first heavyweight to stop Franklin inside the distance.
Itauma flattened the American with a brutal left uppercut in Round 5 in front of nearly 15,000 adoring fans at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, England. For a 21-year-old to produce such a performance — and draw a crowd of that magnitude — is a testament to just how high Itauma's ceiling could be. But while the knockout captured attention, Itauma’s candid mindset may be even more telling.
"It was a big blessing," Itauma said of his performance on Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show. " "Like the knockout was just crazy. I don't even know — I'm speechless.
Because obviously I thought I could do it, I just didn't think it was going to be like that , especially against Jermaine Franklin. " Franklin is known for being a durable heavyweight, and although many believe Itauma made a mockery of that trait by finishing him inside the first half of Saturday's contest, the English contender maintains that he felt Franklin's resistance early on and was forced to take things down a notch. "I was trying to make a statement by trying to knock him out in the first or second round," Itauma admitted.