Manchester, England — In a performance that sent shockwaves through the heavyweight division, 21-year-old British prospect Moses Itauma brutally stopped American veteran Jermaine Franklin Jr. with a fifth-round knockout on Saturday night at the Co-op Live Arena. The fight headlined Queensberry Promotions’ “The Magnificent 7” card, broadcast live on DAZN.
Itauma, fighting out of Chatham, improved to 14-0 (12 KOs), while Franklin, of Saginaw, Michigan, fell to 24-3 (15 KOs). It marked the first time in Franklin’s 27-fight professional career that he had been knocked out or even stopped inside the distance — a feat neither Anthony Joshua nor Dillian Whyte could achieve against the durable contender.
The 21-year-old southpaw-orthodox talent, widely regarded as one of boxing’s brightest young stars and ranked No. 1 by both the WBO and WBA, came out aggressively but adapted when an early finish eluded him. Itauma dominated from the outset, landing sharp right hooks and body shots that visibly slowed the heavier Franklin (who weighed in at 258.4 pounds to Itauma’s 242.1).
Round-by-round dominance
In Round 1, Itauma walked Franklin onto multiple right hooks and combinations, hurting the veteran just before the bell.
Round 2 saw more body work and accurate jabs that Franklin struggled to anticipate.
Round 3 featured a thunderous right hook that dropped Franklin for the first time in the bout.
Round 4 was more measured, with Itauma controlling range while Franklin tried to counter to the body.
The finish arrived in Round 5: A right hook wobbled Franklin, followed by a wobbling left hand. Itauma then unleashed a tremendous left uppercut on the inside, followed by a right hand that sent Franklin crashing face-first to the canvas. He was counted out at 1:33 of the round.
Post-fight, a composed Itauma reflected on his tactical shift in the ring.
“I tried to knock him out in the first or second round, trying to win a few people some dough [money], but I just felt like, ‘Ah, maybe not today.’ So I went back to the basics, going down to the body, and then the knockout just came,” he said. “It’s not the shots you load up with, it’s the shots that you don’t see.”
Promoter Frank Warren, whose Queensberry Promotions staged the event, was equally impressed and outlined plans for Itauma’s next step.
“He’ll be out again probably in July. We’ll be announcing something once we sit down and look at a few things,” Warren said. “He’s No. 1 in the WBO, and he’s No. 1 in the WBA. There’s a lot of fights happening over the next few months, and we’ll sort something out.”
The win caps a remarkable run for Itauma, who had not gone beyond two rounds in his previous nine outings, including a first-round demolition of Dillian Whyte last August. Franklin had entered as a deliberate step-up in class — a proven gatekeeper who pushed Joshua and Whyte the full 12 rounds — making the stoppage even more impressive.
Fans inside the sold-out Co-op Live Arena erupted as Itauma stood over the fallen Franklin, cementing his status as a genuine world-title threat. With the heavyweight landscape shifting, many now wonder how soon the young Briton will challenge for one of the four belts — or even face undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk.
For now, Itauma remains focused on the journey. As he told the Manchester crowd post-fight, he is simply “a young boy chasing a dream.” And on this night, the dream looked very much alive.
