The promising 21-year-old heavyweight will return March 28 against Jermaine Franklin Jr. after dealing with a Grade 2 tear that had him questioning if it would ever heal
Moses Itauma opened up about the bicep injury that forced him to postpone his heavyweight showdown with Jermaine Franklin Jr., and it’s a story about a young fighter trying to be tougher than his body would allow. The undefeated Brit (13-0, 11 KOs) was set to face Franklin (24-2, 15 KOs) on January 24 in Manchester before getting injured in sparring six days before the fight. The bout got rescheduled for March 28 at the same venue with the same undercard. But the injury itself reveals something about how young fighters approach damage to their bodies: they try to ignore it, minimize it, and push through until someone with authority tells them to stop.
- The promising 21-year-old heavyweight will return March 28 against Jermaine Franklin Jr. after dealing with a Grade 2 tear that had him questioning if it would ever heal
- Itauma’s description of the injury progression is basically a masterclass in fighter denial
- The next day, Itauma woke up feeling better, which convinced him he was basically fine
- Itauma couldn’t even run properly for a stretch because of the injury
Itauma’s description of the injury progression is basically a masterclass in fighter denial
He injured his bicep in a sparring session and immediately tried to convince himself it was nothing. When he told promoter Frank Warren about it, Warren told him to get a scan. Itauma’s response? “No, I’ll be alright, I’ll be alright.” That’s the classic fighter mentality: minimize the damage, suggest it’ll heal on its own, keep training. But boxers don’t get injured in ways that heal easily. They get injured in ways that linger and compound. Itauma was trying to push through what he thought was “a little niggle,” which is boxing slang for a minor problem. Except it wasn’t minor.
The next day, Itauma woke up feeling better, which convinced him he was basically fine
That’s the dangerous part of recovery the initial improvement that makes you think everything’s resolved when actually you just had 24 hours of reduced inflammation. He went back to the gym convinced he could return to normal. Then he threw a punch in sparring and immediately felt that something was fundamentally wrong. That’s when the doubt set in. Not the pain the doubt. The realization that his body wasn’t cooperating with his timeline.
When Itauma told Frank Warren he had the same problem, Warren basically put his foot down. “Go get a scan, go get a scan, I won’t let you fight unless you get a scan,” Warren said. That’s the voice of experience recognizing young fighter stubbornness. Itauma needed someone with authority to force medical reality on him. The scan revealed a Grade 2 tear not the worst possible injury, but serious enough that pushing through it was genuinely dangerous.
What’s striking about Itauma’s explanation is how honest he is about trying to push through serious injury. “I was trying to push through it as if nothing’s happened,” he said. That’s not bravery. That’s denial dressed up as toughness. Young fighters, especially one as talented as Itauma, believe their abilities and determination can overcome physical damage. Sometimes they can. Usually they can’t. A Grade 2 tear isn’t something you fight through. It’s something you rest, rehabilitate, and gradually return from.
Itauma couldn’t even run properly for a stretch because of the injury
That’s how serious Grade 2 tears are they affect basic movement. Yet he was convinced he could spar and fight. That’s the disconnect between what young athletes think they can do and what their bodies can actually tolerate.
The positive news is that Itauma is now back in full training and sparring ahead of the March 28 return. At 21 years old, he has time to recover properly and come back stronger. The delay is frustrating for a prospect as talented as Itauma, who hasn’t fought since August due to injuries and opponent availability. But this injury taught him something valuable: listening to your body matters more than pushing through pain.
Franklin Jr. will be waiting on March 28. Itauma will be healthier. That’s the only way this fight makes sense.

