How to Watch: Moses Itauma vs. Jermaine Franklin Jnr

When is Moses Itauma vs. Jermaine Franklin Jnr?

Moses Itauma vs. Jermaine Franklin Jnr is on Saturday, March 28. The broadcast will begin at 1 p.m. ET (5 p.m. GMT). 

What channel is Moses Itauma vs. Jermaine Franklin Jnr on?

Moses Itauma vs. Jermaine Franklin Jnr will stream on DAZN.

Where is Moses Itauma vs. Jermaine Franklin Jnr?

The fight is taking place at Co-op Live in Manchester, England.

Who is Moses Itauma?

Moses Itauma, 13-0 (11 KOs), has been lauded as the heavyweight heir apparent since early in his career. And it is still rather early for the 21-year-old, who was born in Slovakia and now lives in Kent, England.

Itauma turned pro at the start of 2023 and had already impressed enough to be named BoxingScene’s Prospect of the Year at the end of 2024. His speed, power and poise are apparent. He’s not as tall as some of his fellow heavyweights, but he’s got a good stature for the modern competition, listed on BoxRec at 6ft 4½ins and typically weighing between 235 and 250lbs. 

In Itauma’s most recent appearance, he scored his biggest win yet by beating Dillian Whyte. That was a welcome step up after Itauma’s successes against a long-past-his-prime Mariusz Wach (TKO2) and a pair of heavyweights with one loss each who never were going to be considered future contenders: Demsey McKean (TKO1) and Mike Balogun (TKO2). 

Whyte’s only defeats had come against name heavyweights Anthony Joshua, Alexander Povetkin and Tyson Fury. Whyte had bested Povetkin in their 2021 rematch, outpointed Joseph Parker back in 2018, given Oscar Rivas his first loss in 2019 and did the same to Jermaine Franklin Jnr in 2022. Itauma got rid of Whyte as promptly as he did his previous opposition, taking him out in just about two minutes. Whether that was because Whyte has significantly declined or because of Itauma’s significant talent can’t yet be decisively determined.

But here’s what is true: Itauma’s team is looking to build him both into a superstar and a world titleholder. Those goals don’t involve identical strategies, though they may occasionally intersect.

Itauma is ranked No. 1 by the WBA, whose primary titleholder is Usyk and whose secondary “regular” belt is held by Murat Gassiev. Itauma is also ranked No. 1 by the WBO, whose title belongs to Fabio Wardley. 

Itauma is No. 3 with the WBC, which has Usyk with its main title and Agit Kabayel with its interim belt. And Itauma is rated No. 11 by the IBF, where Usyk again owns the top prize.

Franklin could be considered a step back, given that he lost to the guy that Itauma just blitzed. Yet if Itauma remains busy and continues to score highlight-reel victories, he will grow his fan base as a headliner in the United Kingdom. 

At some point, it would also be good for Itauma to get more rounds under his belt. The last time Itauma was taken beyond the second round was in his third and fourth pro bouts, each won via six-round decisions. In total, Itauma’s seen 26 rounds in his 13 victories. Franklin has never been stopped in either of his two defeats. Does he have what it takes to last against Itauma, never mind score the upset?

Who is Jermaine Franklin Jnr?

Jermaine Franklin Jnr, 24-2 (15 KOs), is a 32-year-old heavyweight from Saginaw, Michigan. He is listed at 6-foot-3 and has weighed in the mid-250s for his two most recent boxing matches.

Franklin turned pro in 2015 and won his first 21 fights before meeting with Dillian Whyte in 2022. Whyte won a majority decision, and Franklin was then selected for a comebacking Anthony Joshua after Joshua’s back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk. Joshua’s losing streak concluded, while Franklin joined the “consecutive defeats club” himself by being on the short end of a wide unanimous decision.

Three wins have followed for Franklin since then. He only fought once each in 2024 and 2025, stopping the 24-10 Devin Vargas and then, 16 months later, upsetting two-time Olympic bronze medalist Ivan Dychko on the scorecards last September. Franklin is rated No. 10 by both the WBA and WBO.

What other fights are on the undercard of Moses Itauma vs. Jermaine Franklin Jnr?

The undercard includes a featherweight bout between Liam Davies, 17-1 (8 KOs), and late replacement Francesco Grandelli, 21-4-2 (6 KOs); a light heavyweight match between Ezra Taylor, 13-0 (9 KOs), and Willy Hutchinson, 19-2 (14 KOs); a clash of middleweights Shakiel Thompson, 15-0 (11 KOs), and Brad Pauls, 20-2-1 (11 KOs); and a pairing of middleweights Nathan Heaney, 19-1-1 (6 KOs), and Gerome Warburton, 16-2-2 (2 KOs).

The full list of undercard fights can be seen on BoxRec.

David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.