MANCHESTER,England – The shackles are off Moses Itauma after his impressive fifth round finish of Jermaine Franklin, according to his Ha.ll of Fame promoter Frank Warren.
The now 14-0 (12 KOs) heavyweight from Chatham, Kent made light work of the durable American, landing a crunching left uppercut in Round 5 to all but end proceedings. Itauma, just 21 years old, became the first man to stop Franklin, something his compatriots Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte failed to do.
It now seems there is no point in holding the youngster back any longer; Itauma has proved that he has the speed, power and precision to mix it with the very best in the division. Oleksandr Usyk currently sits atop as the heavyweight king, but after Itauma’s showing last night at Manchester’s Co-op Live, many believe that Itauma is the one to dethrone the 24-0 Ukrainian.
“Well, I like Oleksandr Usyk," said Warren, who in the past worked with Mike Tyson and Frank Bruno. "When you look at [Usyk] and look at the belts he's got, you look at his resume. He's fighting a kickboxer [Rico Verhoeven in May at The Pyramids of Giza] next for [big] money, good luck to him. But he wants the big fights, that's what he's saying, he wants big fights. Do you not think we'd sell Wembley Stadium out with Moses Itauma and Usyk? You'd sell it out five or six times over, right this minute. And the pay-per-view, the viewing figures would go through the roof. I really think that's a fight that should happen and it may get ordered.
“I'm sort of very careful with what I do with fighters, as you know, but yes, I would make that fight now. Styles makes fights, he's got youth, he's got speed. I mean Usyk is a great, great fighter. I think this young man is something extra special. At this moment in time, he's the best I've been involved with at heavyweight, bar none.”
