Usyk’s Team Tells Moses Itauma What To Do To Get World Title Shot

Oleksandr Usyk’s camp has made it clear that rising British-Nigerian heavyweight Moses Itauma must go through Fabio Wardley before he can earn a shot at the world title.

Team Usyk director Sergey Lapin said a showdown between the two young British stars would be the perfect eliminator to decide who truly deserves to face the Ukrainian champion next.

“It would be great to see Fabio face Itauma for the world title. It would be a truly exciting fight and a serious test for both before facing the big boss of boxing,” Lapin told Pro Boxing Fans.

Lapin’s comments have fueled speculation that Usyk may soon vacate the WBO belt, with Wardley currently the mandatory challenger after stopping Joseph Parker in the 11th round of their bout at London’s O2 Arena last month. That victory pushed Wardley’s record to 20 wins, one draw, and no losses.

Moses Itauma, only 20, has quickly built a reputation as one of boxing’s brightest prospects.

The heavy-handed southpaw holds a perfect 13-0 record, with 11 wins coming by knockout. His recent first-round demolition of former world title challenger Dillian Whyte was the biggest statement of his career so far and sent a message to the rest of the division.

After that victory, Itauma boldly claimed he was ready to face Usyk, who has already beaten some of the biggest names in boxing, including Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, and Daniel Dubois.

However, an Itauma-Wardley fight might be complicated since both men train under Ben Davison. That could force promoters to look for another way to determine who challenges Usyk next.

Meanwhile, Itauma will not be returning to the ring in December as previously planned. Promoter Frank Warren confirmed over the weekend that the young heavyweight is likely to wait until 2026 for his next fight due to ongoing negotiations with WBA Regular champion Kubrat Pulev.

“We’ve got to see what happens with this Pulev situation because the WBA ordered that fight, and (Pulev) can’t get out of it. We’ll see where we go with it,” Warren said during a press conference.

Itauma had been expected to feature on December 13 at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena, sharing the card with Derek Chisora’s farewell bout, but his next move will depend on how the negotiations unfold.

Source: Naijanews