British boxing phenom Moses Itauma is closing in on a world heavyweight title shot fast at the tender age of 20 years old. But maybe he’s not quite ready for anything.
The exciting prodigy from Chatham in Kent has left fans and pundits spellbound by racing to a 12-0 pro record with 10 of those victories coming via devastating KOs in the first two rounds.
Most recently Itauma blasted out American Mike Balogun inside two rounds in Glasgow in May, and before that he flattened tough Aussie Demsey McKean in the opening round in Saudi Arabia last December.
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Moses is already ranked #1 in the WBO (World Boxing Organization) heavyweight rankings and he could get a title shot soon if undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk fails to defend the title against mandatory contender Joseph Parker.
Usyk vs Itauma is ‘the fight’
But there are some people out there who already believe Itauma is ready for EVEN bigger things – notably a showdown with that man Usyk. The peerless 38-year-old from Ukraine who is 24-0 as a pro and a three-time undisputed world champion. Twice at heavyweight and once at cruiser.
Before turning pro, Usyk built an incredible 335-15 amateur record and won an Olympic title. The gulf in experience, not just age, between him and Itauma is cavernous. But despite that, Saudi power broker Turki Alalshikh described Usyk vs Itauma as “the fight” for boxing fans in the aftermath of Oleksandr’s recent demolition of Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium.
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While Itauma has been breathtaking every time he’s stepped into a professional ring so far, a matchup with Usyk would be going up several levels and not everybody believes it would be a smart move. One of those doubters is former boxing star and now analyst Spencer Oliver.
Oliver, speaking on talkSPORT, said: “It would be a disaster for Moses Itauma to take a fight against Oleksander Usyk now because you’ve got a kid that’s potentially going to be the next dominant force in boxing, maybe for the next 10 years.”
Next fight for Itauma
Whatever Oliver, or any of us, believe the key people involved in any decisions will be Itauma’s team. And he has a terrific one, led by Hall of Fame promoter Frank Warren – a man who is spectactularly adept at building a fighter at just the right pace.
While that world title shot might arrive soon – and there are viable scenarios where it could be vs either Parker or Usyk – Itauma will not be fighting either man next. Instead he will take on his biggest challenge yet against former world title challenger Dillian Whyte in Riyadh on August 16.
Should Moses come through against Whyte, then world title talk will become ever louder as the sport prepares to welcome the next generation to its top table.
