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

Interestingly, Moses Itauma said on Thursday he’d prefer to be the underdog.

But the truth is, he hasn’t been one yet. The hype is building, but his standout win is last summer’s victory over a fading Dillian Whyte.

We wholeheartedly agree, Adrian.

Image source, Getty Images

Moses Itauma has gone the distance in two of his 13 fights - each of those bouts ran the full six rounds - against journeymen Kostiantyn Dovbyshchenko and Kevin Nicolas Espindola.

They were his third and fourth fights respectively and served as a wake-up call after Itauma had initially said he "wanted to be a world champion by 20".

"I kind of hit a barrier where I don't think I was learning anymore. So would I say I learned from those fights? Yes, but kind of to not wait for something to break to fix it," Itauma told BBC Sport.

Itauma admitted he had to start taking "accountability" for his career and subsequently linked up with trainer Ben Davison.

The 21-year-old has gone from strength-to-strength and embarked on a nine-fight knockout streak.

Image source, Getty Images

Ezra Taylor has put in the hard yards to prepare for tonight's encounter with Willy Hutchinson.

Taylor is undefeated in 13 fights as a professional and boasts nine victories by knockout, but can't afford to sit back and admire his work just yet.

The Nottingham fighter relocated to Los Angeles to work with American trainer Malik Scott, who worked with former heavyweight world champion Deontay Wilder, as he attempts to move closer to his dream of becoming a world champion at light-heavyweight.

"There's times when we were in California during camp and his knuckles would just be bloody," Scott told BBC East Midlands Today.

"One thing a fighter is always going to know how to do is throw punches. But what I'm talking about is power.

"I'm making sure Ezra is bending his knees, is turning his knuckles when he hits the shield I hold, and it's mission accomplished with bloody knuckles. I look at that as a badge of honour because I'm doing my job and he is doing his.

"As time goes on those knuckles don't get bloody no more because he is toughening and roughing them up. And this, to me, is how you take someone that hits hard and you turn them into a solid power puncher."

Light-heavyweight rivals Ezra Taylor and Willy Hutchinson have just started their 10-round contest, so that means we still have a little while to go until we see Moses Itauma and Jermaine Franklin make their ringwalks.

Here's what is to come (timings likely to change):

• Moses Itauma v Jermaine Franklin (heavyweight) ringwalk expected after 22:30 GMT
• Nathan Heaney v Gerome Warburton (middleweight) 22:00

Moses Itauma has demonstrated his devastating knockout ability at every step of his career so far, but recognises he also needs to prove he can go into deep waters to silence some of his critics.

Itauma spoke to BBC Sport's Ade Adedoyin about overcoming the challenge in front of him, potential future opponents and what he needs to do to reach the pinnacle of the sport.

We're back.

Time to get into some build-up for tonight's main event.

BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra

Radio commentary is now up and running to bring you the undercard.

Click 'Listen Live' at the top of this page to hear coverage from Ronald McIntosh, Steve Bunce, Stacey Copeland and Richie Woodhall.

Remember you can listen on BBC Sounds or on your smart speaker, just say 'play Sports Extra'.

We'll leave you with that commentary for now and will be back to get this live text into action a little later.

Enjoy!

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

I've been told around 16,000 fans are going to be in here tonight, so the Co-Op Live Arena will be around two-thirds full.

To be fair, plenty had packed into the arena by 19:30 GMT - which you don't always see at domestic shows.

The main event ringwalk was scheduled for 23:00, but the first four fights have ended within the distance. So - fingers crossed - Moses Itauma and Jermaine Franklin could be making their entrances much sooner than expected.

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

Good evening from the Co-op Live Arena.

Is Moses Itauma the future of the heavyweight division? The signs are certainly there - explosive power, rapid finishes and a growing reputation - but only time will tell.

Tonight offers another clue.

We're well under way with tonight's card and into the latter stages of the middleweight contest between Shakiel Thompson and Brad Pauls.

Here's how the rest of tonight's card is shaping up - timings likely to change:

• Moses Itauma v Jermaine Franklin (heavyweight) 23:00 GMT
• Nathan Heaney v Gerome Warburton (middleweight) 22:00
• Ezra Taylor v Willy Hutchinson (light-heavyweight) 21:00

Image source, Queensberry

Welcome along as we get our latest look at a possible future heavyweight world champion in Moses Itauma.

Briton Itauma has emphatically answered every question posed to him after 13 fights, can he continue that trend tonight against American Jermaine Franklin?