Moses Itauma looks to kick off 2026 with a bang when he attempts to become the first man to stop Jermaine Franklin.
The big-punching Brit fought twice this year, finishing both Mike Balogun and Dillian Whyte in quick fashion. He clashes with Franklin on January 24 in Manchester, and many feel the durable American can be the man to take him some rounds.
Speaking to IFL TV, Whyte — who lasted only two minutes with Itauma — praised the matchmaking, seemingly backing Itauma to come through.
“Good fight. Very good fight. They’re building Moses very good, I wish I had that sort of management and promotion for my career. They’re building him perfectly – the right fights at the right time, spending money and promoting him. His learning resume is amazing.”
Asked if Franklin had been chosen to give Itauma the chance to do what he and Anthony Joshua couldn’t do, namely end the fight inside the distance, Whyte said that the narrative ‘doesn’t make sense.’
“I don’t really think so. I beat Franklin and [Itauma] beat me, so he beat the man that beat the man. It doesn’t make sense. It’s just that they run out of opponents for him and he has to step up to a higher level, because he’s done so well. They have to try and spin this story to make the fight sell.
“Jermaine Franklin lost to both me and AJ … He should’ve fought someone else to be honest, but it’s a good fight for him … People want to get paid to fight. I’m sure people will fight him, but when you’re knocking guys out people start pricing themselves out.”
Franklin has vowed to halt Itauma in his tracks as he marches forward towards a world title. If he fails to do so, the 21-year-old Brit could well find himself challenging for one before the year is out.
