The face-off has been made. Jermaine Franklin and Moses Itauma stood chest to chest this week, and the message from the Saginaw, Michigan native was crystal clear — he did not travel to Manchester to lose. The two heavyweights will settle it on Saturday, March 28, at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, live on DAZN, in what is shaping up to be the most talked-about heavyweight clash of early 2026.
For Franklin, this is not just a fight. This is a redemption arc — and he is writing the final chapter himself.
Franklin’s Road From Saginaw to Manchester
Franklin was born in Saginaw, Michigan, where his stepfather introduced him to boxing around the age of 12 as a way to avoid street fighting and build discipline. Growing up in a high-crime environment, his mother worked tirelessly to keep him on the right path. That grind, that hunger — it never left him.
His nickname, the 989 Assassin, is a direct nod to the area code of Saginaw — a city that shaped him into the fighter he is today. His amateur career included a win over Cassius Chaney and a run to the finals of the 2013 National Golden Gloves Championship. He lost to Cam F. Awesome that year but came back in 2014 and avenged the defeat to claim the title. Despite earning a shot at the 2016 Olympics, he chose to turn professional in 2015 — and never looked back.
Franklin Never Been Stopped, Never Backed Down
Franklin’s professional record stands at 24-2 with 15 knockouts. He has never been stopped in 26 professional contests. That is not a small detail — that is a defining trait of who Jermaine Franklin is as a fighter.
His two losses came on foreign soil against two of the best heavyweights of this era:
- Lost a majority decision to Dillian Whyte at Wembley Arena, London, November 2022
- Lost a unanimous decision to Anthony Joshua at the O2 Arena, London, April 2023
Both fights went the full 12 rounds. Franklin was never dropped. Never hurt badly. Never stopped. He took on the best and made them work for every point on the scorecards.
His most recent performance was a unanimous decision win over previously unbeaten Ivan Dychko on September 13, 2025, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas — on the massive Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford undercard. Franklin has won three straight fights heading into the Itauma bout.
- Record: 24-2, 15 KOs (63% knockout rate)
- Current streak: 3 consecutive wins
- Height: 6’2″ — Reach: 77.2″
- Never been stopped in a professional fight
What a Franklin Win Over Itauma Would Mean
Moses Itauma enters this fight ranked No. 1 by the WBA and WBO and is considered by many to be the most exciting young heavyweight on the planet. He is 13-0 with 11 knockouts, and his first-round stoppage of Dillian Whyte in August 2025 in Riyadh sent a shockwave through the division.
But Franklin has seen elite heavyweights up close. He knows what pressure feels like. He knows what it means to be counted out — and he knows what it means to show up anyway.
A Franklin victory on March 28 would be one of the biggest upsets in recent heavyweight history. It would instantly place him back in world title conversations and prove that the 989 Assassin from Saginaw still has unfinished business at the top of the division.
The face-off this week told the whole story. Franklin looked unbothered, locked in, and ready. Manchester is about to find out if the rest of the world has been sleeping on Jermaine Franklin — and something tells us they have been.
