The story of the heavyweight division is clear, and has been clear for a while. Oleksandr Usyk is the king and is increasingly impossible to de-throne. Usyk is 38 years old, though, and he will soon have to make way for the next king. In his eyes, Moses Itauma may be that man.
The up-and-coming star is currently preparing to fight Dillian Whyte in his most high-profile bout to date. Promoter Frank Warren is already lining up Itauma’s path to a world title. If he gets past Whyte, Warren likes Otto Wallin, Filip Hrgovic or Zhilei Zhang within the next year. After that, anything is possible. Perhaps even a bout against Usyk.
Moses Itauma’s trainer says a fight with Usyk would be a “win-win” for everyone
While Itauma prepares to face Whyte, the idea of fighting Usyk naturally came up. Itauma’s trainer, Ben Davison, was asked about that possibility this week. He was all for it, calling it a “win-win” for everyone involved.
You get the chance to face the best of a generation, if not the best ever. I think it’s a win-win. As much as Moses hasn’t shared the ring with somebody like Usyk, to be truly honest, I don’t think Usyk has shared the ring with somebody like Moses. He is a thinking fighter. He’s able to process, to come back and talk to you in the corner. We’re solely focused on [Whyte], but there is not a fight [we would avoid].
At this point, Itauma might actually be the only heavyweight capable of giving Usyk a run for his money. Usyk has made easy work of the top dogs. Itauma is at least very young with little tread on his tires, and hasn’t put much of his skills on tape yet.
Still, the 20-year-old isn’t ready for that level just yet. A win against Whyte followed by a couple more convincing performances could get him there, though.
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