Moses Itauma: Oleksandr Usyk could be opponent for potential world title fight in 2025, says Frank Warren
Heavyweight prodigy Moses Itauma could fight for a world title as early as this year, suggests his promoter Frank Warren.
Itauma only turned 20 at the end of December but the young heavyweight has already forced his way into fringe world level, blasting through normally durable opponents Mariusz Wach and Demsey McKean in his two most recent bouts.
“His last fight was a phenomenal performance,” Warren told Sky Sports. “He was briefly in the ring but it’s not just the knockout, it’s how you do it.”
The veteran promoter thinks Itauma is good enough to secure a world title shot before the end of 2025.
“He’s got an excellent boxing brain, he’s got a superb jab. He measures his punches,” Warren said.
“Especially young guys, when they’ve got someone in trouble they swarm them, they don’t get their distance. He takes his time. He measures his shots before he throws them. He gets it dead on.
“What is there not to like about him? He’s an exciting fighter.”
Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk, unbeaten and with the WBA, WBC and WBO world titles in his possession, has proved to be the dominant heavyweight of this era.
Among those vying for an eventual shot at Usyk’s belts are a number of Britons, including Daniel Dubois, who holds the IBF championship, Fabio Wardley and Lawrence Okolie.
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Moses Itauma described training with Tyson Fury
But Warren expects to see Itauma in the mix with them sooner rather than later. “I think he could fight for a world title this year,” the promoter said.
“Who knows? He may fight him [Usyk] this year,” Warren continued. “Anything’s possible. We’ve got to see what happens but the thing is with Moses, I think within another fight or two he’s quite capable of being in exactly the same company as all these guys.
“He can be up there with all of them.”
Next for Usyk could well be a Dubois rematch, this time for the undisputed heavyweight world title.
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Johnny Fisher had an amusing Stoke analogy for rival Moses Itauma when asked about his credentials and said opponents need to get their ‘shin pads on’ if they want to beat him
“I think Daniel’s got the tools to beat him,” Warren said.
Usyk has fought and beaten a host of British opponents; Tony Bellew in an undisputed cruiserweight title fight, Derek Chisora, Anthony Joshua (twice) and Tyson Fury (twice), as well as his prior contest with Dubois.
That, though, is still a marker of the overall strength of the heavyweight division in the UK. “It’s flying. When I started off in boxing it was all Americans,” Warren said.
“Now it’s Brits. Who would have thought this would happen?
“Obviously there’s Usyk there, the Brit basher, but there’s a couple of guys there that can give him problems.”
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