Oleksandr Usyk has named Moses Itauma as the future of the heavyweight division, overlooking established names such as Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Daniel Dubois when asked who would succeed him as undisputed champion, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The endorsement carries considerable weight coming from a man who has beaten all three heavyweights twice across his last six bouts, extending his unbeaten record to 24 victories.
When pressed by talkSPORT on who he believes will become the next undisputed heavyweight champion, Usyk did not hesitate.
“Moses Itauma, I think, is a great fighter. Young. 20 years old. I think Itauma has a big future,” he said.
The 21-year-old British-Nigerian fighter has done little to contradict that assessment. Itauma is unbeaten in 14 professional bouts, with 12 stoppages, and became the first man to stop the durable Jermaine Franklin Jr when the pair met at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester in March. He currently holds the WBA international and WBO intercontinental heavyweight titles and is ranked as the WBO mandatory challenger and number one with the WBA.
Usyk is not the only heavyweight icon to have spotted something special in Itauma. Fury, who sparred with him in 2024 when the Kent-based fighter was still a teenager, wrote on Instagram at the time, “Moses Itauma is the future of the heavyweight division.”
Promoter Warren, while keen to manage expectations, has not concealed his belief that Itauma is something genuinely rare.
“I have to be very, very honest with you, I’ve had a lot of young, really good, talented young fighters at an early age. And as a heavyweight at his age — he’s 21 now — he is without a doubt the most talented and the best I’ve seen at this moment in time.
“I think he’s unbelievable for his age. And I look at all the other heavyweights, how many of them turn pro in their teens? Tyson and Daniel Dubois. But other than that, not a lot,” Warren told DAZN in March.
Itauma is next expected to headline the O2 Arena in London on August 8, with negotiations underway for a fight against Filip Hrgovic, who stopped Dave Allen inside three rounds last weekend.
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