Promoter Frank Warren has said that Moses Itauma’s boxing ability is not to be under-looked, despite the young heavyweight wiping out his last nine opponents.
Itauma (13-0, 11 KOs) collides with Jermaine Franklin Jr tomorrow night at the CO-OP Live Arena as the headline act. The 21-year-old southpaw was last in action last August, dismantling fellow Englishman Dillian Whyte inside a round.
“When you are bringing a young fighter through and he is learning his trade, especially with a heavyweight, and most heavyweights haven’t turned pro at his age,” Warren said on the official Queensberry Promotions YouTube channel. “This is his 14th fight coming up. You are looking to get guys who he can gain experience from, so we can also move them up the rankings and prepare them to challenge for a world title.
Franklin (24-2, 15 KOs) comes to England for the third time in decent form. The American 32-year-old scored a unanimous-decision victory against Ivan Dychko last September. He been described as the “final piece of the puzzle” by Itauma in yesterday’s official press conference.
“In Jermaine you’ve got a guy who has never been stopped,” Warren added. “I think this is his 27th fight coming up. He’s only lost two fights and both of those, and he went the distance, both four years ago. One was against Dillian Whyte, which people believe was a very close fight. Dillian was flying at the time. And the other one was against AJ [Anthony Joshua], who we all know is one of the biggest punching heavyweight punchers out there. He didn’t put a dent in him. So, Moses we all know and we have seen that he has devastating power. I am hoping this will display some of his boxing prowess, because I think he is an excellent boxer, not just a one trick pony.”
Itauma vs Franklin Jr will be promoted by Warren’s Queensberry Promotions and broadcast live on DAZN.
