Itauma declares himself ‘ready’ for toughest fight against Franklin

Undefeated heavyweight prospect Moses Itauma is preparing for the toughest test of his career when he faces Jermaine Franklin on January 24, insisting he is ‘ready for him’ as he steps up against the durable American contender.

Itauma has not put a foot wrong, winning all 13 of his bouts, 11 of them by way of knockout.

Dillian Whyte, who was stopped in the first two minutes of their match back in August, was among the nine stoppages that were remarkably swift within the first two rounds. No one was able to put up much resistance to his power.

Franklin, who has visited the UK twice and defeated both world title challenger and former world champion Anthony Joshua and Whyte.

Speaking to media, Itauma broke down why he thinks Franklin will be a tough night’s work for him.

“I actually think it’s a test of opposition. I actually think it might be my toughest fight. The reason why I say that is because what he does very well, there are still question marks [about me],” Itauma said.

“Whereas with Whyte, there’s a lot of things to exploit in his game. Demsey McKean – to be honest – although he went 12 rounds with Filip Hrgovic, I personally didn’t think that he was great. But I actually do feel like Franklin’s a solid fighter so I’m ready for him.”

It is pertinent to mention that if Itauma is able to get another knockout on his record, it will arguably be his most impressive win to date.