Moses Itauma vs Jermaine Franklin Follows Familiar Heavyweight Pattern

“Not Jermaine will beat him. Jermaine will give him rounds,” Franklin said to DAZN Boxing this week, describing the way the fight is being talked about going in.

He has pushed back on that idea, but the role itself has not changed. Franklin is still being brought in to answer a question about someone else, which has been the function he has filled since those two losses. His win over Ivan Dychko showed he can still change things on the right night, but it did not change how he is matched. He remains the opponent used to test where the next name stands, even if he sees the opportunity differently.

“Why not catch him before he reaches the top?” Jermaine said when asked why he accepted the fight with Moses.

That approach reflects his position. A win over Itauma would move him back toward the level he reached after the Whyte fight and give him a reason to call for bigger names again. The incentive is clear, even if the structure of the fight is not.

Itauma is being moved forward with purpose, and Franklin is the latest checkpoint in that process. It is a familiar setup in the division, one that has been used for years to measure prospects against a known level of resistance.

Franklin has settled into that role. He is being brought in to give Itauma rounds and make him look good, not to beat him.