Moses Itauma delivered a statement when he dismantled Jermaine Franklin in five rounds — showing he’s ready for the elite of the heavyweight division. Franklin, who had previously gone the distance with Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte, was meant to be a test for the 21-year-old British prospect, but he couldn’t solve Itauma’s in-and-out footwork, sharp feints and rapid hand speed.
The contest ended with a devastating uppercut that snuffed out Franklin’s resistance and capped a consummate performance. Itauma says he’s prepared to face anyone, yet believes the division’s big names — unified champion Oleksandr Usyk, Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury — are unlikely to give him a shot before they retire.
“That’s probably a question for Usyk to answer. Me I’m just chipping away with trying to get through the rankings and trying to get a crack at a world title,” Itauma told Sky Sports. Asked if those top fighters should want to face him, he replied: “They should, but they don’t.” He added he would welcome a fight with Usyk if offered: “If he ever wants to make that fight happen of course, I’ll be 100 per cent down for it.”
Itauma will become the mandatory challenger for the WBO heavyweight championship — the belt Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois will contest next month. Wardley is a gym-mate of Itauma’s, which makes a clash with Dubois the more attractive prospect for him. Both Wardley and Dubois watched Itauma’s knockout live.
“I don’t think they’re worried. I think they’re both like ‘Oh [wow]. This guy’s in my division,'” he said. “I think deep inside they probably both had the same reaction. I think Fabio managed to, I guess, hide it a bit better.” On who he’d rather face next, Itauma added: “If Fabio wins then it’ll be sticky but if Dubois wins, then that fight makes sense. So we’ll see.”