Itauma Unfazed by Usyk’s Reluctance for Heavyweight Fight

Moses Itauma says he would relish a fight with unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk but believes the Ukrainian’s reluctance to face him makes a showdown unlikely before Usyk retires.

The 21-year-old British heavyweight has been the subject of growing calls for a title shot since knocking out Dillian Whyte last August, with those demands growing louder after he dismantled Jermaine Franklin Jr in Manchester six weeks ago. However, Usyk has made clear he has no appetite for the matchup, saying he does not want to “break” a fighter he regards as a potential successor.

Speaking to talkSPORT Boxing, Itauma said he accepts the reality of the situation, even while expressing his desire for the fight.

“I don’t think that it will happen, but I would love it to happen. 100 per cent, it is a chance to take the torch from Usyk. If I get the opportunity, of course, but there is no reason for him to want to fight me,” he said.

Usyk, 39, is instead preparing for a WBC heavyweight title defence against Dutch kickboxer Rico Verhoeven at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt on May 23. The contest forms the first leg of a planned three-fight run before his retirement, with the Ukrainian targeting an undisputed clash against the winner of the Fabio Wardley-Daniel Dubois bout — scheduled for May 9 — and a potential trilogy fight with Tyson Fury thereafter.

Usyk did not mince his words when asked about fighting Itauma.

“No, I’m not going to fight with Itauma because he’s a young guy. I don’t want to break this guy,” he said.

The IBF and WBA are yet to comment on the status of Usyk’s belts ahead of the Verhoeven fight, though the WBC has confirmed it will sanction the contest. Verhoeven’s only previous professional boxing outing came in 2014, when he stopped a fighter with a record of no wins and six defeats in the second round.

Itauma is widely expected to fight his way into championship contention regardless, but the heavyweight division’s top names from the older generation appear to be moving on without him.