There’s only one king in the heavyweight division, and his name is Oleksandr Usyk. The 38-year-old has seemingly run out of credible opponents, but he’s still in the prime of his career and doesn’t want to let it go to waste yet. While he continues to revel in his recent victory, Usyk’s potential successor is making a statement. Moses Itauma did even more than that with a first round TKO win over Dillian Whyte on Saturday.
Earlier this year, Usyk spoke about Itauma and called him a “great fighter” with a “big future”. Usyk’s words shouldn’t be taken lightly, and Itauma has done everything in his power to prove Usyk right in the short term. Since those comments, Itauma has knocked out two veterans within the first two rounds. This win against Whyte looks like the crucial stepping stone to a big fight.
Moses Itauma doesn’t believe he deserves to fight Oleksandr Usyk yet
But it won’t be against Usyk next; at least, Itauma doesn’t think that will happen. In fact, he mentioned after beating Whyte that he doesn’t feel he currently deserves a shot at Usyk just yet. But with the heavyweight division in a bit of a revolutionary period, it shouldn’t be discarded.
Tyson Fury can’t decided whether he wants to retire or not. Anthony Joshua is floating around the idea of fighting Jake Paul. Daniel Dubois is reeling from a second loss to Usyk. Joseph Parker and Agit Kabayel are waiting for their big shot, but they aren’t necessarily household names.
Itauma has the talent to be the next dominant force in the division. He’s already building a strong resume. The question is whether Usyk will still be boxing by the time Itauma gets a realistic shot at him.
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