International Boxing Hall of Fame promoter Frank Warren opens his account in his 45th year as a licensed British boxing promoter with a Magnificent 7 card in January, headlined by heavyweights Moses Itauma and Jermaine Franklin.
Warren has promoted the likes of Frank Bruno, Naseem Hamed, Nigel Benn, Amir Khan, Ricky Hatton and Joe Calzaghe, and Itauma is being tipped by many as Britian’s next big star.
The Queensberry Promotions show will take place at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester on Saturday, January 24.
Itauma, described in the publicity material for the event as “world champion-in-waiting,” breezed through Mike Balogun and Dillian Whyte in his two bouts in 2025.
The 20-year-old is 13-0 (11 KOs) and Franklin, no stranger to English shores where the 24-2 (15 KOs) contender from Saginaw, Michigan, has lost decisions to Whyte and Anthony Joshua.
He’s won three consecutive bouts since those defeats.
The chief-support sees two of Warren’s significant crop of light-heavyweights line up against one another, with talented 19-2 (14 KOs) Scot Willy Hutchinson facing off against unbeaten Ezra Taylor, 13-0 (9 KOS), with both coming in off fine wins against Mark Jeffers and Steed Woodall respectively.
At junior lightweight, Commonwealth champion Zak Miller, 17-1 (3 KOs) clashes with 17-1 (8 KOs) Liam Davies, and at middleweight Shakiel Thompson, 15-0 (11 KOs) will face former British champion Brad Pauls, 20-2-1 (11 KOs).
Popular Stoke star Nathan Heaney, who is 19-1-1 (6 KOs), returns against Welsh left-hander Gerome Warburton, who is 16-2-2 (2 KOs) while lightweight Alex Murphy, 14-2, meets English champion Josh Holmes, who is 17-0 (6 KOs) and also at lightweight, 14-1 (2 KOs) Aqib Fiaz takes on 12-1-1 (2 KOs).
“We are thrilled to be delivering such a strong Magnificent 7 bounty for the fans in our first UK show of 2026,” said Warren. “It is a statement of intent for the New Year and a sign of things to come. We are delighted with what we have put together across 2025 in tandem with our new broadcast partner DAZN, but we have the scope to go bigger and further in 2026, which we will do and make it a landmark year for the sport.
“This show will also effectively celebrate my 45th year in the professional business and I believe this card certainly does justice to the occasion and I am very happy to have our heavyweight prodigy Moses topping the bill in another perfect test of his unquestionable credentials against a very tough American in Jermaine Franklin."
