Jermaine Franklin vs Moses Itauma Preview March 28th, 2026
Unbeaten heavyweight prospect Moses Itauma of Slovakia takes a step up in class once again this Saturday, March 28th when he meets veteran Jermaine Franklin of Saginaw, Michigan. The 10-rounder from Manchester, England can be seen live on DAZN. Itauma last fought in August when he halted Dillian Whyte in just 119 seconds to win the vacant Commonwealth Title and retain the WBO Inter-Continental Belt. Franklin last boxed in September when he beat Ivan Dychko via a 10-round unanimous decision.
Franklin vs Itauma Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Jermaine Franklin +1800
- Moses Itauma -10000
My Pick
The 32-year-old Franklin climbs through the ropes with a mark of 24-2 with 15 Ko’s and has boxed 149 rounds since making his pro debut in 2015. He enjoyed a fine amateur career which saw him win the 2014 USA National Golden Gloves Final and lose in the final the previous year. He stands 6-feet-3-inches tall with a 77-inch and possesses pretty good power in his fists with 62.5 per cent of his wins coming by stoppage but has stopped just two of his last 10 opponents.
Franklin took a step up in class in November, 2022 in his tilt against Dillian Whyte and passed the test as many fans felt he did enough to earn at least a draw but was handed a 12-round majority decision defeat. Of course, a win or draw is almost an impossibility in the UK for a foreign boxer though unless he dominates the proceedings. He then returned to England five months later for his next contest against Anthony Joshua and dropped 12-round unanimous decision.
Franklin bounced back from those consecutive defeats with a unanimous decision over Issac Munoz Gutierrez in July, 2023 and the stoppage of Devin Vargas in his next outing before beating Dychko. He has also beaten the likes of Adam Collins, Daniel Allotey, Akhror Muralimov, Tyrell Wright, Cory Phelps, Ed Fountain and Craig Lewis as well as a few recognizable names in Pavel Sour, Jerry Forrest and Rydell Booker. However, he went the distance with the latter three.
The southpaw Itauma fights out of England and is just 21 years old. He climbs through the ropes with a perfect mark of 13-0 with 11 Ko’s and has boxed just 26 rounds since making his pro debut in January, 2023. Itauma, who is the brother of boxer Karol Itauma, was also reportedly unbeaten as an amateur as he went 24-0 with 11 Ko’s. He captured gold medals at the schoolboy, junior, Youth European and the Heavyweight Youth World levels.
Itauma stands just over 6-feet-4-inches tall with a 79-inch reach for a 1.5-inch edge in height over Franklin as well as two inches in reach. When it comes to power, Itauma is at the elite level as his current knockout ratio kicks in at 84.6 per cent. Eight of his knockouts have come in the first round while the other three have been second-round stoppages. The only two opponents who went the distance with him were Kevin Espindola and Kostiantyn Dovbyshchenko, who both went six rounds with him in consecutive bouts in April and July of 2023.
His second-round TKO over Ilja Mezencev was for the vacant WBO Inter-Continental Heavyweight Belt which he has defended three times. Nine of his 13 opponents have had winning records with his most significant wins coming over Whyte, Mike Balogun, Demsey McKean and Mariusz Wach. Itauma weighed in at 254 lbs against Mike Balogun in May 2025 and was down to 235 lbs against Whyte just three months later.
Prediction…
Franklin is a durable heavyweight who has decent power and experience against solid foes. If he’s at his best he could give frustrate Itauma for a few rounds but he’s not going to win this fight if his chin doesn’t hold up. This is a pretty good test for Itauma as we don’t really know how good he is yet. Sure, he has power but that’s not always the determining factor in a fight. He could be a legitimate contender or a bit of a flash in the pan. The wide odds here reflect Itauma’s power but Franklin has a legitimate chance if he can withstand it. That’s a big “If” though. I’m still taking Itauma to win it, but it may go longer than many fans believe or even last the distance.
Itauma is 11 years younger with much more power.
Play Itauma -10000 @ BetOnline.ag
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Jermaine Franklin betting • Moses Ituama betting