Undisputed world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk has broken his silence on Moses Itauma’s call-out following one round demolition of Dillian Whyte.
Itauma stopped Whyte inside two minutes of their heavyweight clash in Riyadh on August 16, and now has his sights firmly set on the Ukrainian. Usyk has now responded and seems to welcome the challenge.
Oleksandr Usyk Responds To Moses Itauma Call-Out
Following his one-round knockout victory over British rival Dillian Whyte, Moses Itauma was quick to set his sights on undisputed world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.
Itauma revealed in the aftermath of the Whyte fight that he would love the opportunity to fight the Ukrainian, but understands that a few fighters might deserve their shot before him.
However, His Excellency Turki Alalshikh is clearly a huge fan of Itauma, so might grant him a shot at the undisputed king next. Whether or not this happens remains to be seen, but it is a fight that is now being opening discussed amongst boxing fans.
Itauma was an overwhelming pre-fight favourite to beat Whyte with all boxing betting sites, but perhaps won even more convincingly than anyone thought he would. Itauma knocked ‘The Body Snatcher’ out inside two minutes of the very first round, extending his perfect record to 13-0 with 11 knockouts.
The exciting heavyweight prospect is clearly a world champion in waiting. However, timing is everything in boxing and promoter Frank Warren may want to wait a little bit longer before unleashing Itauma on the world stage.
That being said, Itauma made no secret of the fact that he has his sights firmly set on Usyk. In a calm and composed way, the 20-year-old said he would love to fight Usyk next, but understands he might have to wait his turn.
However, the undisputed king Usyk himself has since responded to Itauma’s call-out, welcoming a fight with the youngster.
Usyk: ‘Itauma Is The Future For Boxing’
Speaking in interview with BoxNation, Oleksandr Usyk was full of praise for Moses Itauma and his performance on August 16 against Dillian Whyte.
Usyk’s record boasts 13 wins in world title fights, the same number of fights Itauma has had in his entire career, but the Ukrainian feels the British heavyweight prospect could be ready for his shot at world honours.
“Great man, great fight. I think Itauma is the future for boxing, I like this guy. Yeah definitely [he’s ready for me],” Usyk told BoxNation after being facetimed by his long-term manager Sergey Lapin.
It seems that Usyk is welcome to the idea of fighting Itauma next. However, whether this actually happens remains to be seen. Usyk’s manager Lapin has other ideas and believes the 20-year-old needs another couple wins before his shot at the Ukrainian king:
“I think this is not good for Moses. A nice last fight [against Whyte], but Moses needs more fights against top guys. Maybe Kabayel, maybe Parker.
“Moses has more options for fights. His first big opponent was Dillian. We have Fabio Wardley, we have Bakhodir Jalolov. Lots of guys,” Lapin told Boxing King Media.
Although Moses Itauma has looked almightily impressive so far, he may need a couple more acid tests before his shot at Oleksandr Usyk. That being said, the undisputed champion himself seems open to the fight, so time will tell whether it happens next or not.
Will Usyk vs Itauma Happen Next?
Whether or not Oleksandr Usyk’s next fight ends up being against Moses Itauma remains to be seen.
It is unlikely the fight happens, despite the praise the Ukrainian has heaped on the 20-year-old following his one round demolition of Dillian Whyte in Riyadh on August 16.
The majority of boxing fans would agree that the likes of Joseph Parker and Agit Kabayel both deserve their shot at world honours before Itauma does.
The overriding feeling amongst boxing fans is that Parker will be next for Usyk, before a possible clash with Kabayel after that. In the meantime, Itauma could add another few wins to his record and put himself in line for a world title shot by the back end of 2026.
That being said, His Excellency Turki Alalshikh is a massive fan of Itauma’s and may push him to the front of the queue. Money talks in boxing, and if this is the fight that Alalshikh wants and he can cough up the money for it, then it will happen.
