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

[joshj909]

Is this the longest lead up to a meaningless fight we have ever seen?

10th November the fight was announced..

10th November!

He's done 1 round in 10 months. 3 rounds since 2024. Pretty poor management, planning and promotion for the guy that is being touted as the next big thing. This fight will be followed with more promotion as him being just that but I hope the casual's have enough common sense to ask the question of 'Who even is Jermaine Franklin?'. If he wants to face Usyk, he needs a relevant fight fast. If he wants to be in the best position to get a title shot as soon as Usyk retires he needs a relevant fight fast and if he wants to become a marketable name he needs a relevant fight fast.

[MightyWarrior]

One round in 10 months, that’s crazy. Mike Tyson would’ve had 10 fights in that time. As could have Moses, except for the month or whatever he’s been injured. Queensbury could be really torpedoing his career with this lapse.

I suppose they will be reassuring themselves with well he’s a heavyweight so will go a long time, but really if he had a choice here he’d be jumping promoters, because it ain’t good enough.

My mate knows all about British heavyweights Joshua whyte Chisora Joe of course, has never even heard of Moses - I might have mentioned him a couple of times, but when the guys not fighting, there’s not much to talk about.

[mickey1975]

One round in 10 months, that’s crazy. Mike Tyson would’ve had 10 fights in that time. As could have Moses, except for the month or whatever he’s been injured. Queensbury could be really torpedoing his career with this lapse.

I suppose they will be reassuring themselves with well he’s a heavyweight so will go a long time, but really if he had a choice here he’d be jumping promoters, because it ain’t good enough.

My mate knows all about British heavyweights Joshua whyte Chisora Joe of course, has never even heard of Moses - I might have mentioned him a couple of times, but when the guys not fighting, there’s not much to talk about.

Whyte was meant to last longer than a round and Franklin was meant to be in January.

[tony1234]

I wonder why there is such a delay between fights, surely Itauma should be having ticking over fights to keep his name out there and create the hype ?

Unless there are injuries or other issues that are stopping him fighting but it's getting daft now

[mickey1975]

I wonder why there is such a delay between fights, surely Itauma should be having ticking over fights to keep his name out there and create the hype ?

Unless there are injuries or other issues that are stopping him fighting but it's getting daft now

There was an injury!

[Coco]

And tough to manage, it's the problem when you promote someone as best ever, you gotta pay best ever purses.

Then folk haven't been getting past the first round, he gets an injury , it's tough to find opponents who don't want silly money, suddenly you have an inactive fighter.

Has needed Turki money, but FW doesn't want to hand over a golden goose to him.

[tony1234]

I wonder why there is such a delay between fights, surely Itauma should be having ticking over fights to keep his name out there and create the hype ?

Unless there are injuries or other issues that are stopping him fighting but it's getting daft now

There was an injury!

But out for so long ? He has no momentum at all now

[joshj909]

And tough to manage, it's the problem when you promote someone as best ever, you gotta pay best ever purses.

Then folk haven't been getting past the first round, he gets an injury , it's tough to find opponents who don't want silly money, suddenly you have an inactive fighter.

Has needed Turki money, but FW doesn't want to hand over a golden goose to him.

Frank has plenty of guys in-house that I think would fight him and build Itauma's profile. I don't know why he doesn't use them. He also needs to be willing to pay a big purse and see it as an investment if it's going to get him the right exposure.

[dookus]

And tough to manage, it's the problem when you promote someone as best ever, you gotta pay best ever purses.

Then folk haven't been getting past the first round, he gets an injury , it's tough to find opponents who don't want silly money, suddenly you have an inactive fighter.

Has needed Turki money, but FW doesn't want to hand over a golden goose to him.

[gilgamesh]

And tough to manage, it's the problem when you promote someone as best ever, you gotta pay best ever purses.

Then folk haven't been getting past the first round, he gets an injury , it's tough to find opponents who don't want silly money, suddenly you have an inactive fighter.

Has needed Turki money, but FW doesn't want to hand over a golden goose to him.

It'll be easier to get Itauma fights after Saturday I suspect. Not sure if Franklin will ever hurt him or make it especially close, but he'll last a while with Itauma I think, and probably give him at least a little something to think about.

[Coco]

And tough to manage, it's the problem when you promote someone as best ever, you gotta pay best ever purses.

Then folk haven't been getting past the first round, he gets an injury , it's tough to find opponents who don't want silly money, suddenly you have an inactive fighter.

Has needed Turki money, but FW doesn't want to hand over a golden goose to him.

It'll be easier to get Itauma fights after Saturday I suspect. Not sure if Franklin will ever hurt him or make it especially close, but he'll last a while with Itauma I think, and probably give him at least a little something to think about.

In terms of pushing him forward, a bad performance will make things much easier.
Also Uysk is going to be holding the belts for another couple of years, like 3 fights
Is Moses just gonna tread water in that time?

[gilgamesh]

And tough to manage, it's the problem when you promote someone as best ever, you gotta pay best ever purses.

Then folk haven't been getting past the first round, he gets an injury , it's tough to find opponents who don't want silly money, suddenly you have an inactive fighter.

Has needed Turki money, but FW doesn't want to hand over a golden goose to him.

It'll be easier to get Itauma fights after Saturday I suspect. Not sure if Franklin will ever hurt him or make it especially close, but he'll last a while with Itauma I think, and probably give him at least a little something to think about.

In terms of pushing him forward, a bad performance will make things much easier.
Also Uysk is going to be holding the belts for another couple of years, like 3 fights
Is Moses just gonna tread water in that time?

If he's gotta wait for a 38 year old man to get older before he's got the balls to fight him, he's not the next big thing at all. The next big thing wouldn't hesitate to take the title off an old man that didn't begin his career as a Heavyweight.

[Coco]

It'll be easier to get Itauma fights after Saturday I suspect. Not sure if Franklin will ever hurt him or make it especially close, but he'll last a while with Itauma I think, and probably give him at least a little something to think about.

In terms of pushing him forward, a bad performance will make things much easier.
Also Uysk is going to be holding the belts for another couple of years, like 3 fights
Is Moses just gonna tread water in that time?

If he's gotta wait for a 38 year old man to get older before he's got the balls to fight him, he's not the next big thing at all. The next big thing wouldn't hesitate to take the title off an old man that didn't begin his career as a Heavyweight.

Uysk has his plans mapped out, Moses isn't a part of that, also these plans tie up the belts for a couple of years

[gilgamesh]

In terms of pushing him forward, a bad performance will make things much easier.
Also Uysk is going to be holding the belts for another couple of years, like 3 fights
Is Moses just gonna tread water in that time?

If he's gotta wait for a 38 year old man to get older before he's got the balls to fight him, he's not the next big thing at all. The next big thing wouldn't hesitate to take the title off an old man that didn't begin his career as a Heavyweight.

Uysk has his plans mapped out, Moses isn't a part of that, also these plans tie up the belts for a couple of years

What are the plans? I didn't hear them beyond Rico.

[JC]

If he's gotta wait for a 38 year old man to get older before he's got the balls to fight him, he's not the next big thing at all. The next big thing wouldn't hesitate to take the title off an old man that didn't begin his career as a Heavyweight.

Uysk has his plans mapped out, Moses isn't a part of that, also these plans tie up the belts for a couple of years

What are the plans? I didn't hear them beyond Rico.

Rico, Wardley/DDD winner, Fury again.

[joshj909]

Uysk has his plans mapped out, Moses isn't a part of that, also these plans tie up the belts for a couple of years

What are the plans? I didn't hear them beyond Rico.

Rico, Wardley/DDD winner, Fury again.

Every time I am reminded of this it feels worse

[JC]

What are the plans? I didn't hear them beyond Rico.

Rico, Wardley/DDD winner, Fury again.

Every time I am reminded of this it feels worse

We were all hoping for the Chazz Witherspoon rematch.

[keithmoonhangover]

I'm certain that this won't be an early blowout.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Fight week!!

[joshj909]

This went from a somewhat interesting fight that people would've been looking forward to to a fight that people can't wait for it to get over and done with.

[Ruthless-RKO]

This went from a somewhat interesting fight that people would've been looking forward to to a fight that people can't wait for it to get over and done with.

Then onto the next one.

[skanksta]

I know he's an 'ard bastard but Jermaine Franklins face just reminds me of a deep tissue masseuse you'd come across in a holistic wellness retreat in Costa Rica.

We've all been there...

[tony1234]

This went from a somewhat interesting fight that people would've been looking forward to to a fight that people can't wait for it to get over and done with.

Then onto the next one.

Then onto the next 8 or 9 month wait till the next one

[joshj909]

This went from a somewhat interesting fight that people would've been looking forward to to a fight that people can't wait for it to get over and done with.

Then onto the next one.

Then onto the next 8 or 9 month wait till the next one

Hopefully it's much sooner than that but I doubt it. There are some good and achievable fights for him out there. Wardley, Dubois, Bakole, Okolie/Yoka, Riakporhe, Gassiev, Huni, Zhang, Anderson.

[Coco]

Then onto the next one.

Then onto the next 8 or 9 month wait till the next one

Hopefully it's much sooner than that but I doubt it. There are some good and achievable fights for him out there. Wardley, Dubois, Bakole, Okolie/Yoka, Riakporhe, Gassiev, Huni, Zhang, Anderson.

If he does well in this one, he may well be ready for the deep end.
Hopefully for him, it doesn't go too early