Moses Itauma headlines at Manchester’s Co-op Live tonight against Jermaine Franklin Jr, looking to become the first man to stop the durable heavyweight from Michigan and continue his rise through the division.
Itauma has 11 knockouts in 13 wins, most recently blasting out Dillian Whyte inside two minutes. The question going into his 14th fight is whether Franklin can take him rounds. If he does, it may offer a glimpse of other dimensions to the young Brit’s game. If not, and it ends inside the distance, Itauma will have done what Anthony Joshua and Whyte could not when they faced Franklin, further enhancing his reputation as a future dominant force.
Six more fights round out the ‘Magnificent 7’ bill in Manchester, streaming live on DAZN worldwide. Fan favourite Nathan Heaney clashes with with Gerome Warburton for the vacant WBA Middleweight Continental title. At light-heavyweight, Ezra Taylor faces Willy Hutchinson for the WBA Continental and vacant WBO Global belts in what could be fight of the night.
Shakiel Thompson meets Brad Pauls for the vacant IBF Middleweight International title, while at featherweight Liam Davies takes on Francesco Grandelli for the vacant EBU European and WBO Inter-Continental belts.
Further down the card, Alex Murphy and Josh Holmes contest the vacant Commonwealth lightweight title, with Michael Gomez Jr facing Jordan Flynn in another 135lb bout to open the main card.
Stay with Boxing News for live results and updates as the action unfolds.
Undercard results
Michael Gomez Jr vs Jordan Flynn – lightweight
Result: Gomez Jr TKO 3. Michael Gomez Jr stops Jordan Flynn – who was cut early and drawn into a back and forth battle from the off – inside three rounds. Relentless from 31-year-old winner, who said pre-fight that he would retire if he lost. Great action to open the card.
Alex Murphy vs Josh Holmes – lightweight
Result: Holmes TKO 1. One of the most thrilling rounds you’ll see this year. Holmes looked hurt after a big right hand from Murphy, but fought fire with fire rather than holding on. He put Murphy down twice, hard, with referee Howard Foster waving it off after a count on the bell. Holmes moves to 18-0 with an army of new fans behind him.
𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐁𝐋𝐄! JOSH HOLMES STOPS ALEX MURPHY IN 1! 😱#ItaumaFranklin | Live NOW on DAZN ▪️ pic.twitter.com/Me7pW9XmNU
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) March 28, 2026
Liam Davies vs Francesco Grandelli – featherweight
Result: Davies RTD 6. An impressive performance from Davies. He took control from the very first bell and Grandelli struggled to cope with the pressure he was constantly put under. A big left hook in round four sent Grandelli to the canvas, and while the Italian showed a lot of heart and pride to get through the next couple of rounds, he was pulled out by his corner after round six as Davies becomes the new European featherweight champion.
Shakiel Thompson vs Brad Pauls – middleweight
Result: Pauls TKO 9. Quite sensational from underdog Brad Pauls, who was being outpointed throughout the fight before changing everything with a right hand in the ninth round. Thompson made the first count but had no legs beneath him and Pauls went about business methodically, scoring another knockdown to lead referee Howard Foster to call a halt to proceedings. Fantastic comeback win.
A peach from Pauls floored Thompson! 🥶#ItaumaFranklin | Live NOW on DAZN ▪️ pic.twitter.com/1CTZd4b7K7
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) March 28, 2026
Ezra Taylor vs Willy Hutchinson – light-heavyweight
Result: Hutchison UD. Comfortable for Hutchison, who was classy, composed, confident and clinical when scoring points. Taylor struggled to find the range to get anything meaningful off. Not an overly memorable affair, but an important win for Hutchison and a first defeat for Taylor. Scorecards read: 99-91, 98-92 and 98-92.
Nathan Heaney vs Gerome Warburton – middleweight
Result: – Warburton UD. It was a competitive affair during the first half of the contest, but as the fight progressed Warburton was getting the upper hand and looked to be edging the rounds. That proved to be the case, as the judges scored the fight in Warburton’s favour to give him the biggest win of his career to date. Scorecards read: 98-92, 97-93 and 97-93.
Moses Itauma vs Jermaine Franklin live scorecard and result
This is a Boxing News live scorecard and not the official score from the judges.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Itauma | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 |
| Franklin | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 |
Result: Itauma TKO 5. Moses Itauma closes the show in the fifth round with a brutal left uppercut – putting Franklin out on his feet – followed by a right hand to send him to the canvas. Credit to the American, who was dropped in the third but fought on and becomes a good note of development in the career of Itauma, who cannot be denied as the future of the division. The feints, speed, angles and power of the young Brit continue to impress. Onto the next one.
