Overview
- The fight takes place Saturday, March 28 at Manchester’s Co-op Live and streams worldwide on DAZN.
- Itauma, 21, is 13-0 with 11 knockouts after a 119-second stoppage of Dillian Whyte in August, and this bout is widely billed as his first real step-up.
- Franklin, 24-2, went the distance with Whyte and Anthony Joshua and beat Ivan Dychko, and he says he expects to be fighting the judges in the UK.
- Manager Francis Warren plans to petition at the IBF’s May convention to line up the winner of Frank Sanchez vs Richard Torrez Jr as Itauma’s next step toward a title shot.
- Rankings place Itauma at No.1 with the WBA and WBO and No.3 with the WBC, and WBA secondary titleholder Murat Gassiev says he is open to facing him if he remains unbeaten.