Sean Byrne
BBC Sport

In my defence, I also think 100 Wardleys could beat a Silverback Gorilla... Even if the WBO heavyweight champion doesn't fancy himself.

This co-main event is bubbling up nicely.

Nathan Heaney's ringwalk raised the atmosphere in the arena but his loyal fans might be a little worried to see he has blood smeared across his nose and mouth.

It looks like Wales' Gerome Warburton broke Heaney's nose in the fifth round.

We've just ticked into the second half of the bout.

Image source, Getty Images

In the wake of the death of Ricky Hatton, a new BBC documentary explores how the sport has still not filled the void in care for its fighters.

Well worth a watch for any boxing fan.

Fabio Wardley
World champion and DAZN analyst

If you were to compare yourself to any ex-fighter who would it be?

"George Foreman."

Steve Bunce
Boxing expert

Boxing loves a nice cliche. Every single Mexican fighter was supposedly one of 17 brothers and had been a shoeshine boy since he was six.

Then there's the female fighter who had to pretend to be a boy because she wasn't allowed to fight as a girl - Caroline Dubois seems to have done that, and Katie Taylor most definitely did.

With Moses Itauma, the stories are about the established pros he'd sparred as a teenager.

I like the idea that he was still a schoolboy wearing his shorts and his sandals, although I think that's ripping the proverbial out of it.

But testimony from different gyms and fighters suggests that yes, he did show up after school to spar with guys while he was still wearing his uniform.

I personally first became aware of Itauma when he was about 16.

He was on his way to winning junior and youth titles as an unbeaten amateur, still wearing a headguard. There were rumours circulating about this kid.

That Silverback Gorilla question has got us talking in the office and our very own Sean Byrne believes that 100 of him could win that fight... even if WBO heavyweight champion Fabio Wardley doesn't fancy his chances.

For reference, Sean is 5ft 7in and weighs around 11st. Wardley stands at 6ft 5in and weighed around 17st for his last fight.

Sean thinks his "ground game" might be the difference. I'm not too confident about his chances.

Fabio Wardley
World champion and DAZN analyst

Would 100 Fabio Wardley's take down a Silverback Gorilla?

"No! I've done the science and I've asked Chat GPT."

Image source, Queensberry

Moses Itauma competes under the British flag but was born to a Slovak mother and Nigerian father in the eastern European country.

Itauma is proud of his roots and travelled to his father's homeland last year to learn more about his African heritage.

During that trip, Itauma told BBC Sport Africa that security staff at the airport in Lagos were keen to make friends with him, asking if he was a native after spotting his belts.

"I said, yeah, my father is," recalled Itauma. "[They said] 'we're proud of you'.

"They didn't know my story, they don't know what I've gone through, they don't know what my mum's been through, they don't know nothing about me.

"But they said just because I'm Nigerian, I'm doing well, that they're proud of me. That's something I've never had anywhere else."

Fabio Wardley
World champion and DAZN analyst

How do you deal with pressure?

"Repetition remove doubt. I know the work I put in at the gym. That removes the pressure with confidence."

That face-off was pretty uneventful. I'm sure there will be more fireworks when they get into the ring and fight in seven weeks time.

Just sticking with WBO heavyweight champion Fabio Wardley, he has very kindly been answering some of your questions this evening and those responses are on the way over the next hour as the co-main event plays out.

Image source, Queensberry

Image source, Queensberry

Kal Sajad
BBC Sport boxing journalist at Co-op Live Arena, Manchester

Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley - who fight in this very arena in seven weeks - are about to do a face-off in the ring.

Dubois is pacing by the corner, clenching his fits and staring the world champion down, as if he's ready to go tonight.

Image source, Queensberry

Scotland's Willy Hutchinson has just beaten Ezra Taylor by decision to take his overall record to 20 wins and two defeats.

That's a first loss as a professional for Nottingham's Taylor in his 14th bout.

The co-main event between Nathan Heaney and Gerome Warburton is up next.

Queensberry have built a pretty impressive stable of heavyweights over the past few years and a couple of them are at the Co-op Live Arena to keep a close eye on Moses Itauma tonight.

Former heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois and former cruiserweight champion Lawrence Okolie, who recently moved up to heavyweight, are ringside.

Potential future opponents for Itauma?

Image source, Queensberry

Image source, Queensberry

Time to get your matchmaking hat on.

It feels weird that Moses Itauma could have any critics when he boats a perfect 13 victories at the age of 21, with 11 of those wins coming by knockout.

He also has a remarkable eight wins inside one round.

Picking opponents that are going to offer a test is proving tough but is Itauma ready to step into a world title fight?

If Itauma comes through tonight's bout with flying colours, then who would you put him in with next?

Kal Sajad
BBC Sport boxing journalist at Co-op Live Arena, Manchester

Moses Itauma keeps being asked about the heavyweight elite, but he’s quick to shut that down - insisting his full focus is on the man in front of him. Speaking to BBC Sport earlier in the week, he described him as a "tough cookie".

On paper, Jermaine Franklin is no pushover. The Michigan fighter has only lost to Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte, and comes in off a convincing points win over Ivan Dychko. He's durable, experienced, and tough to break down.

We've got you covered from all angles tonight with the Moses Itauma content.

The British heavyweight prospect sat down with Steve Bunce to speak about his career to date and plans for the future.

Itauma's promoter - Queensberry chief - Frank Warren and opponent Jermaine Franklin also drop in for a chat.

Steve Bunce
Boxing expert

Moses Itauma has been lauded as the future of the division, which he might very well be. But right now, and where he is at in his career, he is not ready to take on the world's best heavyweights.

And any talk of him fighting Oleksandr Usyk or Fabio Wardley for a world title is just a ridiculous conversation.

I've seen so many instances where young prospects, especially heavyweights, have been called the "second coming of X" - you can fill in the gap - and then they fall short.

Because if you actually look at it in the cold light of day, what is there in Itauma's 13 wins that could lead anybody to think that as of today, he could fight any of the top guys?

In the future, he might knock them all out.

The good thing is the kid doesn't buy into all of it. He just gets on with business. He doesn't buy into the hype and he knows how good he is.

Itauma's record is perfectly acceptable for a guy who's had 13 fights and is only 21 years of age.

On Saturday, he has a real test against Jermaine Franklin – a perfect piece of matchmaking.

And as I say, in 18 months to two-and-a-half years, he might have taken care of everybody in the division.

We've had plenty of action at the Co-Op Live Arena already today, so here's a look at how the fights have ended so far...

• Michael Gomez Jr. defeats Flynn via third-round stoppage
• Josh Holmes defeats Alex Murphy via first-round stoppage
• Liam Davies defeats Francesco Grandelli via retirement after the sixth round
• Brad Pauls defeats Shakiel Thompson via ninth-round stoppage

Image source, Getty Images