Overview
- Itauma and Franklin headline at Co-op Live in Manchester on Saturday, streaming on DAZN with BBC Radio 5 Live audio coverage.
- At Friday’s weigh-in, Itauma came in at about 242.1 pounds and Franklin at about 258.4 pounds.
- Itauma is 13-0 with 11 knockouts and has not gone past the second round in his last nine fights, leaving questions about his stamina and chin.
- Franklin, 32, is 24-2 with 15 knockouts, has never been stopped, and went the distance with Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte before a recent points win over Ivan Dychko.
- The bout was postponed from January after Itauma’s reported biceps injury and now positions the highly ranked Brit as he pushes toward world-title talks.