Chris Oliver expects more fireworks from rising heavyweight star Moses Itauma when he returns to the ring on Saturday night.
Boxing betting tips: Saturday action
2pts Moses Itauma to win in rounds 1-5 at evens (Sky Bet)
1pt Willy Hutchinson to win by decision at 7/5 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power)
MOSES ITAUMA faces the latest test of his highly-promising career when he takes on Jermaine Franklin at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena on Saturday night, live on DAZN.
Itauma is seen as the best prospect in boxing right now thanks to his destructive rise up the heavyweight ranks and such is the potential of the young Briton that he looks every bit a world champion in waiting.
He has been blowing his opponents away but the one thing he needs now to further his development is rounds and that is exactly why Franklin (24-2) has been brought in for this one.
British fans will know Franklin from his back-to-back defeats to Dillian Whyte and Anthony Joshua in 2022 and 2023 respectively, when he was very unlucky not to get the nod against the former and was competitive throughout when showing great durability against the heavy-handed latter.
However, the best-case scenario for the American may be a moral victory of sorts by hearing the final bell and that is reflected in his odds of 11/1 to win the fight, with Itauma just 1/16 to take his record to 14-0.
Itauma has stopped 11 of his 13 victims and he has taken care of business within two rounds in each of his last nine outings, so it hasn’t just been a case of who he has beaten but more about how he has beaten them.
The 21-year-old clearly has power, but it is his speed of hand and foot that sets him apart from most other heavyweights and he has been able to make a string of good fighters look very ordinary in his impressive run of knockouts.
Demsey McKean had reached the 12th round with the talented Filip Hrgović in his previous fight but was blown away inside a round by Itauma before the latter made similar light work of Mike Balogun (TKO2) and the aforementioned Whyte (TKO1) in his two outings last year.
It may have been a more faded version of Whyte than who faced Franklin nearly three years earlier, but he was still expected to provide Itauma with his toughest test to date and he was demolished inside a round. Whyte couldn’t handle the speed and power of Itauma and was stopped inside two minutes, so can Franklin do any better?
On paper, yes. Franklin has never been dropped, never mind stopped, and has plenty of experience, with 26 fights as a professional under his belt and he won the Golden Gloves as an amateur in 2014.
The 32-year-old is a smart fighter who knows how to look after himself and is able to slip and ride shots very well in order to take the sting out of them. He took the best what Joshua could offer and kept firing back, although he lost that fight clearly on the scorecards and actually winning rounds against Itauma could be tricky.
Franklin mixes it up to body and head well, is a good counter puncher and has quick hands for a big man. However, he has only stopped one opponent in the last eight years and doesn’t appear to have the power to keep Itauma off here, which could be the problem. So, as durable as Franklin is, the 10/3 for Itauma to win a decision may not quite be big enough as the visitor will be coming under heavy artillery from the off.
We know Itauma will be starting fast and while Franklin has quick hands, they aren’t quicker than the favourite’s and that could be another key factor here.
Itauma’s ability to move and explode into attacks like a middleweight is what makes him so dangerous as a big man, allowing him to pounce from all sorts of angles and he carries knockout power in both hands. Also, it is nearly seven years since Franklin faced a left-hander and Itauma’s southpaw stance could be a problem for his opponent as well.
Franklin is on a three-fight winning streak and recorded a career-best victory when outpointing Ivan Dychko last time out, so it would be a real statement if Itauma can get the job done early. However, the home fighter has made a habit out of making statements so far and the ultra-impressive youngster can do so again here.
You can get 4/11 for Itauma to record another stoppage victory but given his tendency to start fast and his liking for destruction, I fancy him to get the job done in the first half of this 10-rounder at evens.
Itauma’s relentless and lightning-fast attacks from the unorthodox stance could be something Franklin has never seen before, and the former can find the mark early doors. Once Itauma has his man hurt, he doesn’t let them off the hook.
Bad blood makes for fiery contest
The pick of a stacked undercard is the intriguing light heavyweight contest between WILLY HUTCHINSON and Ezra Taylor.
There has been plenty of bad blood ahead of this domestic showdown and it has all the potential to steal the show, in what could be a fiery affair.
Taylor is unbeaten in 13 outings, with nine of those wins coming early, but this represents a notable step up in class from stopping late replacement Steed Woodhall in nine rounds last time out. That is reflected in his odds, but he is only a slight underdog at 6/4, with Hutchinson available at 7/10 and it should be very competitive early doors.
Hutchinson has by far the best win of either man thanks to his unanimous decision verdict over Craig Richards in June 2024 and, although he lost a split decision to Joshua Buatsi next time out, that is much better company than Taylor has mixed in.
‘The Hutch Train’ bounced back to halt Mark Jeffers in October and he is promising to show that he is levels above Taylor, who has a good jab and is busy with his output.
However, Hutchinson is a tricky switch-hitter with decent power, and his unorthodox style could be the perfect antidote to the straight-up boxing of his opponent.
Add in his superior experience, both as an amateur and a professional, and a strong case can be made for Hutchinson earning the bragging rights with a victory here, most likely via decision at 7/5.
Posted at 11:15 GMT on 27/03/26
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