Moses Itauma KO Jermaine Franklin in the fifth round

JAKARTA - Youth fighter Moses Itauma managed to strengthen his status as one of the brightest heavyweight boxing stars today after he carved a knockout (KO) victory in the fifth round against Jermaine Franklin.

The 21-year-old young fighter from England ended the fight at the Co-op Live Arena, Manchester, with an uppercut. This result makes Itauma extend his record of not losing in the professional ring.

"The first two rounds I thought the fight would go to the last round. Then in the fifth round when I managed to throw an uppercut, I thought did I really do that?" said Itauma as quoted by BBC Sport.

Defeating Franklin makes Itauma have a record of never losing in 14 professional fights. Of those, 12 were obtained by knocking out opponents.

Franklin was supposed to be one of the biggest tests of Itauma's professional career, but with the easy victory he is now on the list of contenders for the world title belt.

The President of the World Boxing Organization (WBO), Gustavo Olivieri, has even proposed Itauma as a mandatory challenger for the WBO heavyweight title.

"I will officially recommend to the Championship Committee that Itauma be designated as a mandatory challenger in the WBO heavyweight division," Gustavo said on his official social media.

The decision made by Gustavo gives Itauma a great opportunity to face the world champion belt holder in the near future. It is likely that before the end of this year, he can get into the ring to win the title.

The current WBO heavyweight title is held by Fabio Wardley. The British boxer is scheduled to defend his title against Daniel Dubois - also from England - on May 9, 2026 in Manchester, England.