Heavyweight Itauma to face Franklin in January

British heavyweight Moses Itauma will put his unbeaten record on the line when he faces American Jermaine Franklin at the Co-Op Live Arena in Manchester on 24 January.

The bout will headline a Queensberry Promotions ‘Magnificent Seven’ event with Scotland’s light-heavyweight Willy Hutchinson taking on England’s Ezra Taylor in the co-main event.

Itauma, 20, is unbeaten in 13 fights while 32-year-old Franklin has 24 wins and two losses on his record.

Frank Warren says the fight night will celebrate his 45th year as a boxing promoter.

“In all my years in boxing, this might be the best stable of fighters we’ve ever had and on this card we have the cream of the crop,” Warren said.

Itauma was expected to fight on 13 December before a raft of issues delayed his return.

The Briton had several potential opponents turn him down before the WBA ordered him to fight Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev for the WBA ‘Regular’ heavyweight title.

Pulev then announced he would be fighting Russian Murat Gassiev on 12 December.

Itauma is on a run of nine stoppages in a row, six of them in the first round and his most recent win was a one-round destruction of Dillian Whyte in August.

The only defeats on Franklin’s record are to Anthony Joshua and Whyte.