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Imago

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Imago

As the number one-ranked contender at the WBA and the WBO, Moses Itauma eyes a title shot in the near future. While he sees a potential matchup brewing between him and Daniel Dubois, he’s also open to a fight with WBC interim champion Agit Kabayel. But before reaching that stage, Itauma first needs to get past the challenge in front of him.

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Tonight, he will face heavyweight contender Jermaine Franklin. The American has plenty at stake as well. He rebounded from back-to-back losses inflicted by Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte – both Brits – to put his career back on track and is now aiming to improve his standing in the rankings. A win over a rising star like Itauma may prove significant for the Michigan native, who, barring a few exceptions, has mostly fought on the fringes. That, however, is only part of the storyline. Here’s everything you need to know about tonight’s event.

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What time will the Moses Itauma vs. Jermaine Franklin Jr. fight start? Date and venue

The Itauma vs. Franklin boxing event is scheduled for tonight, Saturday, March 28, at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena. Opened in 2024, the indoor venue can accommodate over 23,000 spectators. Both Itauma and Franklin will be making their first appearance at the arena.

The event will kick off at 5 p.m. Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). For those in the United States, that roughly corresponds to 1 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) or 10 a.m. Pacific Time (PT). The main event ring walks are expected to begin by 11 p.m. GMT, which is equal to 7 p.m. ET and 4 p.m. PT.

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Moses Itauma vs. Jermaine Franklin Jr. undercard

The primary focus will be on the Itauma-Franklin fight. Beyond the headliner, several key bouts are scheduled across the preliminary and main card segments.

Heavyweight

Moses Itauma (13-0) vs. Jermaine Franklin (24-2); 10 rounds

Light Heavyweight

Willy Hutchinson (19-2) vs. Ezra Taylor (13-0); 10 rounds

Super Middleweight

Billy Deniz (14-0) vs. Grant Denis (19-19); 6 rounds

Middleweight

Shakiel Thompson (15-0) vs. Brad Pauls (20-2-1); 10 rounds

Nathan Heaney (19-1-1) vs. Gerome Warburton (16-2-2); 10 rounds

Light Middleweight

John Joe Carrigan (1-0) vs. Danny Costello (3-1); 4 rounds

Light Welterweight

Aadam Hamed (6-0) vs. Michael Mooney (10-12-3) 4 rounds

Lightweight

Alex Murphy (14-2) vs. Josh Holmes (17-0); 10 rounds

Michael Gomez Jr. (21-2) vs. Jordan Flynn (13-1-1); 10 rounds

Featherweight

Nelson Birchall (10-0) vs. Ryan Griffiths (8-1-3); 10 rounds – for the English Featherweight title

Liam Davies (17-1) vs. Francesco Grandelli (21-4-2); 12 rounds – for the EBU European Featherweight title

How to watch Moses Itauma vs. Jermaine Franklin Jr.? Tickets and streaming

For fans looking to watch the event live, the card, promoted by Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions, will be available on DAZN. The streaming service offers monthly and yearly plans. The annual plan costs £119.99 or $224.29 for 12 months. It can be split into monthly installments of £14.99 or $19.99. The DAZN monthly plan is priced at £24.99 or $29.99. The plans provide access to over 185 fights each year across boxing and other combat sports.

Fans can choose a standard subscription or an Ultimate Tier that also includes pay-per-view events.

Those planning to attend the event can check ticket availability through outlets like “Ticketmaster UK.” They are advised to check details carefully before making any purchase. Tickets currently range from £29.50 for seats in the farthest row to £230.50 for those at ringside, with strong demand expected closer to fight night.

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Written by

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Jaideep R Unnithan

3,673 Articles

Jaideep R. Unnithan is a Senior Boxing Writer at EssentiallySports and one of the division’s most trusted voices. Since joining in October 2022, he has brought a deep love for the sport into every story, whether reporting on live bouts with the ES LiveEvent Desk or unpacking the legacy of fighters from different eras as part of the features desk. Trained under EssentiallySports’ prestigious Journalistic Excellence Program, which is a specialized training initiative designed to refine top writers' skills through mentorship and advanced sports journalism techniques, Jaideep’s writing reflects a quiet authority shaped by two years of covering boxing’s flashpoints and fault lines. He is drawn to the warrior code of legends like Alexis Argüello and Marvin Hagler, while also staying attuned to the promise of rising stars like Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez, David Benavidez, and Dmitry Bivol. Jaideep has a special fascination with Naoya Inoue’s old-school grit. Beyond writing, he reads widely, a habit that sharpens his storytelling, whether he’s tracing the rhythm of a classic fight or preparing his next ringside dispatch. Before joining EssentiallySports, Jaideep worked as a client manager and team manager in corporate roles, bringing strong organizational and communication skills to his journalistic career. He has also completed notable certifications, including a Non-Fiction Book Writing Workshop.

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Gokul Pillai

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