Overview
- Itauma, who fought Saturday in Manchester, ended the bout with a sharp left uppercut and a follow-up right that sent Franklin face first as referee Steve Gray waved it off.
- The 21-year-old had dropped Franklin in round three and improved to 14-0 with 12 knockouts in what was billed as his toughest test.
- Franklin had previously gone the distance with former champions Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte, so this first stoppage win marks a clear step up in Itauma’s credibility.
- A sold-out Co-op Live crowd of roughly 15,000–16,000 saw the DAZN-streamed main event, underscoring Itauma’s growing pull as a headliner.
- Promoter Frank Warren said Itauma will likely box again in July and expressed confidence a world-title shot could follow this year, with options shaped by May bouts involving titleholders Oleksandr Usyk and Fabio Wardley and ongoing sanctioning-body maneuvers.