Moses Itauma says his fifth-round knockout of Jermaine Franklin was “instinctive” and he will “respect” the need for patience in his career amid questions about a fight with Oleksandr Usyk.
In his 14th fight, 21-year-old Briton Itauma ended Franklin’s record of never being stopped in 27 bout to move a step closer to a potential bout with established superstars such as unified heavyweight champion Usyk and one of the Ukrainian’s predecessors, Anthony Joshua.
“Usyk’s earned the right to do whatever he wants,” said Itauma, revealing how one of his coaches, Lee Wylie, showed him a video they had looked at from his “scouting report” on 32-year-old Franklin in his dressing room after the win.
“There’s a pecking order that I’ve got to respect. I don’t really care what these other heavyweights think or feel.
“I know what the truth is and the ability I’m capable of. Now I’ve got to go out there and show it.”
Why Moses Itauma and Anthony Joshua are ‘different’
Itauma’s trainer, Ben Davison, guided Joshua to wins over Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou and a knockout defeat at Wembley Stadium to Daniel Dubois between 2023 and 2024.
“They’re slightly different characters,” Davison told Seconds Out of the colossal punchers. “AJ’s built like a Greek god and is a great talker.
“Moses has this ‘wow’ factor of being this 21-year-old turning up and doing crazy ****. His ability – a flair-type style – with the knockout power… he’s very composed with it.”
Joshua has called Davison “phenomenal” but left him before his one fight since – a farcical win over rookie and YouTuber Jake Paul in Miami last December – because the 36-year-old wanted to avoid the “distractions” of London.
The fighter known as ‘AJ’ has been linked to a long-awaited scrap with Tyson Fury, who is also a former unified champion with two defeats to Usyk to his name.
Fury – arguably the only Briton who can currently match Joshua’s popularity among active fighters – will compete for the first time in 16 months when the towering Mancunian meets Russian Arslanbek Makhmudov at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on April 11.
Will Moses Itauma vs Oleksandr Usyk happen?
Usyk, who beat Joshua twice and has become friends and worked with him since, last fought with a knockout win over Dubois at Wembley in July 2025.
Itauma is open to fighting Usyk imminently, but Davison believes another of his fighters, Fabio Wardley, could be next in line if he successfully defends his WBO title against Dubois on May 9.
“If Fabio beats Dubois, Usyk is saying he’ll fight Fabio,” said Davison, playing down talk of the 31-year-old facing one of the finest boxers of all time.
“We’re way away from the situation occurring where it’s like ‘we must see this fight’. It’s an unnecessary conversation.”
Moses Itauma on Jermaine Franklin knockout video
American Franklin went the distance in defeats to Whyte in 2022 and Joshua the following year but had no answer for Itauma, who earned the 12th knockout of a professional career that began in January 2023.
“I was in the ring and trying to work to my coach’s tactics, from what we’d drilled on,” reflected Itauma.
“When I threw that shot, I didn’t even think about it. They’re the ones that close the show. I’ve got to say a big thank you to Ben Davison, Lee Wylie and [coach] Barry Smith. They’ve been a big part of my journey.
“I’m happy that I’m able to not only please myself and the fans, but also the team. I knew I was able to knock him out, but not with one punch.
“He’s known for being able to take power. He took Dillian Whyte and Anthony Joshua’s best punches.”
