A busy January schedule suffered a significant setback when Moses Itauma was forced to withdraw from his scheduled January 24 clash with Jermaine Franklin.<\/p>\n
The 21-year-old heavyweight prodigy<\/a> was set to headline Queensberry Promotions\u2019 latest Magnificent 7 card at Manchester\u2019s Co-op Live Arena. However, injury struck, forcing the southpaw\u2019s withdrawal and prompting organisers to postpone the entire event. The card has now been rearranged for March 28 at the same venue.<\/p>\n News of the postponement was met with disappointment from fans on social media, while for fighters lower down the bill the consequences were more tangible. Training camps had already been completed, sparring partners paid and preparations finalised, meaning the delay carries an unavoidable financial sting.<\/p>\n Queensberry promoter Frank Warren outlined the severity of Itauma\u2019s injury when speaking to the Clubhouse Boxing<\/a> podcast, making clear there was no scenario in which his fighter could have competed.<\/p>\n \u201cVery unfortunate. He\u2019s torn a bicep muscle and he was giving it a rest. The feeling was it would be okay but he went and had another MRI and it\u2019s torn. A specialist has said it\u2019s impossible for him to fight and we\u2019re not going to let him fight if he\u2019s not ready to. So unfortunately it\u2019s been postponed.\u201d<\/p>\n The delay will extend Itauma\u2019s time out of the ring to seven months. He has not fought since August, when he produced a devastating one-round demolition of former world title challenger Dillian Whyte<\/a>, a performance that firmly announced his arrival at world level.<\/p>\n