The heavyweight clash between Moses Itauma and Jermaine Franklin on January 24 has been postponed.
The news broke this morning (January 13) that Itauma had suffered an unspecified injury in training for the bout, and the fight at Manchester’s Co-op Live would 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 is yet to go past six rounds, and brutally finished Dillian Whyte in the opener back in August. The durable Franklin was seen as a perfect next step for Itauma as he climbs the heavyweight ladder towards a title shot. The 24-2 Franklin is yet to be stopped as a professional, with his two defeats coming against hard-hitters Anthony Joshua and Whyte over 12 rounds.
The full card, or ‘Magnificent 7’ 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 scheduled date. Scotland’s Hutchinson, 19-2 (14 KOs), returned in October with an impressive stoppage of Mark Jeffers, after 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 contest 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 includes a featherweight clash between Liam Davies and Zak Miller, as well as a middleweight bout between Shakiel Thompson and Brad Pauls.
