About Tom Eaton
28 MARCH 2026
Moses Itauma vs Jermaine Franklin
Itauma has gone the distance just twice in his 13 professional bouts to date, with all 11 of his stoppages coming in the second round or sooner and nine of them being a part of his ongoing knockout streak.
Here, he steps up the level of his opposition once again against the ‘989 Assassin’, but there is growing belief that the assassin will come to Manchester without his sword and instead plan on bringing durability rather than devastation.
Whilst many suspect that a negative approach could see Franklin take Itauma into the second half of the contest, I am of the belief that this will make the Michigan-based operator a sitting duck against a superior-skilled sensation such as Itauma.
As a result, I expect Itauma to find the flaws in Franklin’s defence and get the job done early, outshining the likes of ‘AJ’ and Whyte with a performance that gets the world of boxing talking.
- Total Rounds: Under 4.5 @ 8/5
Liam Davies vs Francisco Grandelli
A couple of years ago, Liam Davies was being touted as a super-bantamweight opponent for pound-for-pound superstar Naoya Inoue, but defeat to Shabaz Masoud has resulted to a move up in weight and here he challenges for the EBU European featherweight title.
On his featherweight debut, Davies went the full 12 rounds with Kurt Walker, whilst Grandelli went the distance with Nathaniel Collins, who punches harder than Davies, in his most recent visit to the United Kingdom back in 2024.
Subsequently, Davies by decision has got to be considered as the obvious pick in this one, with Davies possessing the talent to overcome the Italian but probably not the power to end the clash without the held of the judges.
- Davies by Decision or Technical Decision @ Evens
Willy Hutchinson vs. Ezra Taylor
Finally, in what could well be the fight of the night, Willy Hutchinson and Ezra Taylor go toe-to-toe in an intriguing light-heavyweight battle.
Hutchinson has adopted a more aggressive fight style since moving up to 175lbs, but here he collides with a tough, game, undefeated operator in Ezra Taylor, who is well capable of pulling off the upset.
It’s a difficult fight to call and, when considering value, Taylor by decision may well be worth a punt as a single. Although, for any multiple bets, the fight to go the distance is a safer selection.
That being said, Taylor is unproven at this level and will require a career-best performance if he is to get the better of ‘The Hutch Train’, who is more established beyond the domestic light-heavyweight scene.
- Fight to go Distance @ 8/15
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