Moses Itauma vs. Jermaine Franklin | DAZN - 28 March 2026

[dookus]

Be interesting to see what Moses does when he can't blow them out quick.

Will he keep his foot down? And maybe blow up himself?

Or will be be mature enough to slow the pace down?

I'll be very disappointed if we get a rerun of Haye v Thompson

[Kilburn]

Sorry if I’m stating the obvious here, but am I right in saying there will be no option to purchase Itauma v Franklin as a one-off ppv?

[Ruthless-RKO]

Sorry if I’m stating the obvious here, but am I right in saying there will be no option to purchase Itauma v Franklin as a one-off ppv?

It’s part of normal sub.

Normal month sub is same as a standalone PPV these days anyway.

[Ruthless-RKO]

AQIB FIAZ: JORDAN FLYNN HAS A BIG FOLLOWING, BUT HE'S BEATEN NOBODY

Aqib Fiaz believes that class will tell when he and Jordan Flynn climb between the ropes on January 24.

Fiaz (14-1, 2 KOs) and Flynn (13-1-1, 2 KOs) will meet over 10 rounds on the undercard of Moses Itauma's heavyweight clash with Jermaine Franklin. DAZN will broadcast the event from Manchester's Co-op Live Arena.

The outspoken Flynn is most well-known for his drawn out rivalry with Fiaz's former gym mate, Cameron Vuong, and wasted little time in attempting to draw Fiaz into some verbal sparring at the fight's opening press conference.

The lightweight fight is a must-win affair for both men and Fiaz isn't allowing himself to be side tracked.

"For me, he’s got a big following and a big name but really and truly accomplished nothing. He's beat who? Nobody. That's what I think," Fiaz told The Ring.

"That's the difference. You go through our records and you see who's got the padded record. You see who's having tickover fights with journeymen between these fights.

"I'm a real fighter, always have been. Since I was 18 I've always been in real fights."

Fiaz is still only 26 years old but seems to have been around for years. He was a teenage amateur when he was chosen as a sparring partner for former two-weight world champion Carl Frampton, and turned professional shortly after.

He quickly found himself fighting on big shows but although he remained unbeaten, was hamstrung by injury, inconsistency and briefly contemplated retirement after losing his mother and best friend during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In October 2023, a stoppage defeat to Reece Bellotti sent him into the wilderness. Last year, he returned as a more mature, well-rounded fighter and got his career back on track.

He got back up and running with a third-round stoppage of Lydon Chircop and then produced arguably the best all round performance of his career to outbox and outfight Alex Murphy over 10 rounds.

Fiaz still has lots of time to fulfil his undoubted potential but needs to make an immediate impact against Flynn. He seems to be well-placed mentally and physically to do so.

"I wouldn't say it's a brand new start. I feel like when I was coming in on these big shows and fighting on TV as a youngster before my loss, I was 21-to-23 and had already been through a lot," he said.

"I was carrying a lot of trauma from the things that happened in my personal life. I kind of probably wasn't ready to do this but now feel like I'm a man. I feel like I'm much older, much more experienced. I’m a father and fighting for that bit more now.

"I feel like I'm prepared to excel and do what I always set out to do now."

[Kilburn]

Sorry if I’m stating the obvious here, but am I right in saying there will be no option to purchase Itauma v Franklin as a one-off ppv?

It’s part of normal sub.

Normal month sub is same as a standalone PPV these days anyway.

Ah ok for some reason I thought I’d read this was a PPV event.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Moses is injured...

Wil now be on March 28th

[Ruthless-RKO]

So this is going to be a magnificent seven card and as history usually tells us it will no doubt change to a super six card as one of the fights may be called off it usually is the case

Chin up Ruthie, it's a good card so far.

Wasn't wrong..

[Ruthless-RKO]

Don’t know if rest of card is still on and just main event is being moved

[Ruthless-RKO]

Moses Itauma sustains injury in camp ahead of January 24 fight

Moses Itauma continues to be the talk of the heavyweight division, with many tipping him to become a world champion sooner rather than later. He was due to return to action on January 24 against the durable American Jermaine Franklin.

Queensberry Promotions has now announced that Itauma has sustained an injury in camp, leading to the postponement of the January 24 card. (more to follow).

Magnificent 7 card for January 24 postponed

Moses Itauma injury leads to new date confirmed

Itauma (13-0, 11 KOs) enjoyed a memorable 2025, defeating Mike Balogun and Dillian Whyte with relative ease. The highly regarded 21-year-old had been linked with facing the very best in the division, before it was announced he would face the tough American Jermaine Franklin, who has only lost twice, to Whyte and Anthony Joshua.

His movement and punching power have seen him walk through all other opponents with relative ease. Many have tipped Franklin to be the fighter to take Itauma into deep waters.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Moses Itauma Injured, Jan. 24 Headliner Rescheduled To March 28

Moses Itauma has suffered a training camp injury, prompting Queensberry's January 24 show in Manchester to be postponed and moved to a new March 28 date, it was announced today.

That means the whole card, including The Ring's No. 10-rated light heavyweight Willy Hutchinson vs. Ezra Taylor and Liam Davies-Zak Miller, are all off on two weeks' notice.

The Ring's No. 7-rated heavyweight contender was to begin the year with a career-best assignment in America's bullish Jermaine Franklin, who fared competitively despite decision defeats by Dillian Whyte and two-time unified world champion Anthony Joshua previously.

Instead, this news comes as another unwelcome blow for the 21-year-old at a time where the sport's glamour division has finally started moving nearer the championship level.

Michigan's Franklin (24-2, 15 KOs) has spoken well about feeling disrespected as little more than a measuring stick, but now finds himself with two extra months' preparation time before returning to British shores. After banking seven fights in his first year as a pro, Itauma (13-0, 11 KOs) will have only boxed six times in two years since for various reasons.

Originally slated to headline a bill in north-west England on December 13, boxing politics iced that opportunity while WBA 'regular' champion Kubrat Pulev boxed Murat Gassiev.

Gassiev scored a one-punch knockout of Pulev to claim the secondary strap, meaning he will now be mandated to defend that distinction against the highly-rated youngster at some stage in the coming months as Itauma currently sits ranked No. 1 with the WBA and WBO.

Agit Kabayel defended his WBC interim strap with a third-round knockout of Damian Knyba in Queensberry's maiden show of 2026 last weekend and Itauma's stablemate Fabio Wardley features among the German's plans for a busy campaign after 11 months' inactivity.

Kabayel's friend and former world champion Tyson Fury announced his latest return from another short-lived retirement, while The Ring's No. 9-rated contender Richard Torrez - among those with Itauma on their radar - is set for a Jan. 22 purse bid before a proposed matchup against Frank Sanchez to decide Oleksandr Usyk's next IBF mandatory challenger.

[Ruthless-RKO]

The whole card has been moved..

I mean it gives more training time for undercard boxers, but more risk of injuries?

Two weeks notice, could have kept the rest of the card on, was decent fights.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Moses Itauma injured, Jermaine Franklin bout rescheduled for March 28

The heavyweight clash between Moses Itauma and Jermaine Franklin on January 24 has been postponed after Itauma suffered an unspecified injury in training.

News of that injury broke this morning [January 13], and the fight at Manchester’s Co-op Live will now be moved to a new date of March 28 at the same venue.

The contest was seen as a step up in class for one of the sport’s hottest prospects in Itauma, 13-0 (11 KOs), who has yet to go past six rounds. The durable Franklin was considered a perfect next step for Itauma as he climbs the heavyweight ladder towards a title shot. The 24-2 Franklin has never been stopped as a professional, with his two defeats coming against hard-hitters Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte over 12 rounds.

The full card, or ‘Magnificent Seven’ as it was billed, also included an intriguing domestic light heavyweight match up between Willy Hutchinson and Ezra Taylor, and that too has been moved to the new date. Scotland’s Hutchinson, 19-2 (14 KOs), returned in October with an impressive stoppage of Mark Jeffers, having previously been beaten by Joshua Buatsi 13 months earlier. The undefeated Taylor, 13-0 (9 KOs), is yet to be tested at 175lbs, and the fight with Hutchinson was seen as a huge opportunity for both to push towards a world title shot in 2026. The pair will still square off in March.

The rescheduled card also features a featherweight clash between Liam Davies and Zak Miller, as well as a middleweight bout between Shakiel Thompson and Brad Pauls.

[Ruthless-RKO]

By March.. it will be 7 months since his last fight, which lasted less than 3 minutes.

[joshj909]

These are the risks you take when you are so inactive and schedule fights against opponents you should be beating fairly handily so far in advance.

[Ruthless-RKO]

These are the risks you take when you are so inactive and schedule fights against opponents you should be beating fairly handily so far in advance.

i'd rather him take 5 fights this year, or even 4. fight British/Euro level boxers, who might have more hunger.

Not guys that are not at their peak.

[jamesmcdonnell]

Don't like the way Moses is being moved, way way too slowly. However, that often is the way for Warren fighters it seems. Although he is young, if he is getting a handful of rounds every six months, he's not really learning a lot.

Franklyn is experienced, and has been durable, but he's had 3 fights since going the distance with Joshua.

I guess he's a step up in some respects.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Moses Itauma vs Jermaine Franklin fight postponed after Itauma suffers injury in camp

Moses Itauma suffers injury in training, which forces fight with Jermaine Franklin to be postponed until March 28; after his fight with Franklin, WBA have ordered Itauma to face Kubrat Paul vs Murat Gassiev winner; Itauma also ordered to face Lawrence Okolie in WBC final eliminator

Moses Itauma's fight with Jermaine Franklin has been postponed until March 28 after the British heavyweight suffered an injury in training.

Itauma was supposed to take on former Anthony Joshua foe Franklin on January 24 at Manchester's Co-op Live Arena.

However, the 20-year-old was hurt during his training camp and so the fight has been rescheduled to March at the same venue.

In a short statement on social media, Queensberry Promotions said: "Unfortunately Moses Itauma has sustained an injury in camp and therefore the Magnificent 7 show has been rescheduled for March 28."

The highly-regarded Itauma flattened compatriot Dillian Whyte inside the opening round in Saudi Arabia in August 2025 to extend his perfect professional record to 13 wins from as many fights, with 11 stoppages.

Meanwhile, Franklin has taken Whyte and Joshua the distance in 2022 and 2023 respectively and has never been stopped in 26 professional contests.

The WBA have ordered Itauma to fight Murat Gassiev. The Russian became the WBA 'regular' champion following a sixth-round knockout win over Kubrat Paulat.

Itauma has also been ordered to face fellow Brit Lawrence Okolie in a WBC final eliminator, and the unbeaten 20-year-old is yet to indicate his preferred option.

In September, Itauma's team said that they would take a fight with Oleksandr Usyk, even at this early stage of the young heavyweight's career.

"I would take it," Ben Davison told Sky Sports. "I would. It's a win-win. As much as Moses hasn't boxed anybody like Usyk, I don't think Usyk's boxed anybody like Moses. He would openly say that himself.

"It's something he [Itauma] would be up for. He's got the mindset: if you're taking a dive [into the deep end] you might as well take the dive. Hopefully we may end up in a world title fight."

[joshj909]

These are the risks you take when you are so inactive and schedule fights against opponents you should be beating fairly handily so far in advance.

i'd rather him take 5 fights this year, or even 4. fight British/Euro level boxers, who might have more hunger.

Not guys that are not at their peak.

Yep, instead of Balogun, Whyte and Franklin every 6 months, he could instead face the likes of TKV, Adeleye, Dacres, Xhoxhaj, Wallin, Lerena and Goodall which would all be achievable in one year, would boost his profile, boost his experience and would see him pick up belts and defences.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Moses Itauma injured in camp, Jermaine Franklin fight postponed

Moses Itauma's fight against Jermaine Franklin has been postponed after the Brit sustained an injury in camp, Queensberry Promotions have confirmed.

Rising heavyweight star Itauma (13-0, 11 KOs) was set to fight American Franklin (24-2, 15 KOs) at the Co-Op Live in Manchester, England on Jan. 24.

The entire card has now been moved to March 28 at the same venue.

"Moses Itauma has sustained an injury in camp for his fight with Jermaine Franklin on Jan. 24," Queensberry said in a statement.

"Due to this, the whole Magnificent 7 show has been postponed and moved to the new date of March 28th at the Co-Op Live in Manchester."

Itauma dealt with various injuries in 2025 and struggled to find opponents willing to face him, meaning he fought just twice last year, with knockout wins over Mike Balogun and Dillian Whyte.

Franklin, whose only professional defeats came on points against Whyte and Anthony Joshua, was expected to present a challenge for Itauma who has swept aside all previous opponents.

"It certainly could be Moses' toughest fight," promoter allegedly told ESPN prior to the postponement.

"Franklin brings durability has been in with Anthony Joshua, one of the hardest punching heavyweights and was not stopped, against Dillian Whyte some people thought Franklin won, these are his only two losses.

"Franklin has a lot of self-belief, so yes a tough test for Moses."

The "Magnificent 7" undercard featured several British domestic clashes including a light heavyweight match up between Willie Hutchinson and Ezra Taylor.

[joshj909]

Don't like the way Moses is being moved, way way too slowly. However, that often is the way for Warren fighters it seems. Although he is young, if he is getting a handful of rounds every six months, he's not really learning a lot.

Franklyn is experienced, and has been durable, but he's had 3 fights since going the distance with Joshua.

I guess he's a step up in some respects.

It's starting to look a lot like how Dubois and Yarde we're moved. Tell everyone they're the best in the world, compare them to another relevant heavyweight and tell everyone how they'd beat them (Joshua for Dubois, Buatsi for Yarde and Usyk for Itauma) and have them beat non-competitive opponents with padded records until they get gifted a title shot (which was true for Dubois until he lost the British title fight he was supposed to win the first time he stepped up).

[Cyclops]

Martin Bakole probably knocked him out in sparring.

[maninthemiddle]

DAZNs Dec/Jan UK schedule beginning to look below par..

[Ruthless-RKO]

DAZNs Dec/Jan UK schedule beginning to look below par..

few cards left:

Alexis Rocha vs Raul Curiel II | DAZN - January 16, 2026
Jose Tito Sanchez vs. Jesus Ramirez Rubio | DAZN - January 23, 2026
Raymond Muratalla vs. Andy Cruz | DAZN - January 24, 2026
Bakhram Murtazaliev vs. Josh Kelly | DAZN - 31 January 2026
Shakur Stevenson vs. Teofimo Lopez | DAZN - 31 January 2026

that's just DAZN

[Ruthless-RKO]

The show goes on but Nathan Heaney’s hard work must start again

Middleweight contender Nathan Heaney is putting a brave face on things despite the disappointment of his January 24 Manchester fight being postponed.

Heaney was set to face Graeme Warburton at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena on January 24, but an injury to bill-topper Moses Itauma means the whole card has been pushed back to March 28.

It has hit Heaney, 19-1-1 (6 KOs), particularly hard, making him a victim of his own success as he had sold more than 2,000 tickets.

The fight is still on, the original tickets are still valid. But Heaney is understandably upset for those who were excited to see the charismatic Stoke man back in action in 10 days’ time.

“It’s bollocks,” said Heaney, who has already set about contacting some 2,000 people. “For me it’s more frustrating because I’ve literally done thousands of tickets and people have booked hotels and trains.”
Heaney got a call from manager Errol Johnson – after Heaney had just dropped his kids at school – informing him of the switch, having received countless messages from fans asking him whether the news was true.

“It’s the most tickets I’ve ever sold,” Heaney said. “What’s frustrating is my supporters don’t care about the rest of the card, they just want to see my fight.”

Heaney, 36, has racked up more than 500 miles hand-delivering tickets over the Christmas period and takes on the cost of postage himself, which is about $5 per item.

“It’s part of the game,” he lamented. “And as long as I’m still fighting that’s the main thing. I genuinely care about the promotion and the promoter and I want them to be successful and I want the best for my supporters, too. I’m disappointed but I also always want to say thank you to my supporters. This is the sport. I get it.”

[tony1234]

Was looking forward to the whole show, Itauma is going nowhere for now. He will be so forgotten time he comes to fight it will be a miracle if he realises his potential