Itauma vs Franklin

Appreciate Itauma might not be ready for Usyk yet, but Franklin feels like a bit of a step down in terms of who I’d be expecting him to fight.

No chance this isn’t PPV, presumably your January ‘ultimate’ sub offering.

 

Good card that.

At least Franklin may give Itauma some rounds.

 

Franklin is exactly what Itauma needs. He's beaten some names but a shot to bits Whyte doesn't give us much insight.
He will hopefully get pushed back under fire by Franklin who isn't a KO puncher but does usually bring some volume and grit, and he's been the distance with 2 good punchers in AJ and Whyte
It's the type of leaning fight he needs. If he blows Franklin away then he may as get onto the World Scene Vs someone in the top 10. Hgrovich or Zhang as an example. Struggle and he can easily bide his time with a few more leaning fights slightly lower down the cards of the A list.

 

Franklin is about as good as it’s going to get, I guess, with a solid undercard, and I can’t see this not being part of the PPV Ultimate. Good card overall and also explains the WWE-style antics between Hutchinson and Taylor at the Buatsi fight.

If Itauma takes Franklin out in a couple of rounds, it has to be Usyk next – anything else would really be a waste of time. Fury and Joshua won’t touch him, Wardley trains with him, and anyone else below that level, Dubois included, it’s a career ender if they get blown away. Unless, of course, you’ve got a pre-existing rivalry you can milk one last time.

 

Itauma vs Franklin not a bad fight imo and undercard potentially decent too, definitely not ppv worthy though

 

Zero threat main event against a fighter who did not look any threat to the bang average Joshua and Whyte.

This fight outcome is as much a cert as this card being on DAZN Box Office.

 

Going forward, all fights with Moses Itauma will be PPV / DAZN Ultimate.

It's almost impossible for Frank Warren to find opponents for Itauma. They will only accept the fight if they are paid a fortune.

By the way : It's an excellent card !

 

This is just an exercise to see if Franklin can last a fee rounds as he's gone the distance with Whyte and AJ.
A massive deal will be made of this when Moses puts him on button moon .

 

Nothing surer than Itauma being sent out on the mainstream media soon, DAZN will never shift any subscriptions or PPVs off his name just now. No bugger knows who he is. This is a decent show but it's a trade card to be honest, it'll surely bomb commercially.

 

Some rounds ? I'd be surprised if Franklin survives 2 rounds against Itauma. He's going to be blown away.

 

A decent development fight . Shouldn't be ppv but almost definitely will be.

 

I think DAZN are banking on the Nepo Babies fight this weekend, plus Benavidez–Yarde and the pension clash between Whyte and Chisora, to really sell the Ultimate package. They must be expecting 500,000+ buys this weekend and have probably run a bunch of Monte Carlo simulations on how many will actually stick around afterwards.

Nothing about this launch is unplanned or organic – it’s been months in prep. Probably why the Moses fight was announced today. Truthfully, if he keeps knocking people out the way he has been, he could be deaf, dumb, and mute and people would still catch onto the talent.

His only downfall will be if he gets ego-inflated and blows up outside the ring like the two Tysons. Beyond that, unless he’s packing glass, he’s a superstar in the making.

 

I might add that someone has whispered in my ear about a big US fight January 31st live on DAZN PPV / Ultimate.

I expect it will be announced soon.

 

See I’m not so sure he’s going to be a massive ticket seller personally, just something about him, maybe personality wise, makes me doubt he’ll be a “superstar”