Moses Itauma continues to impress, so much so that the debate surrounding him now centres on how he would fare against the very best in the world. Tony Bellew has recently weighed in on an all-British clash against ‘The Gypsy King,’ Tyson Fury.
Itauma has won 11 of his 13 contests by stoppage, most recently finishing former world title challenger Dillian Whyte inside two minutes. His blend of speed, raw power and composure from the southpaw stance could pose problems for any heavyweight on the planet, and many are already high on his becoming a dominant champion.
To do that, Itauma may have to force a changing of the guard against some of the big names who have been competing in the division for the past decade. One of those, should he decide to return from retirement, is two-time champion Fury.
Speaking to Pundit Arena, Bellew was adamant that Itauma would not stop the bigger and more experienced man.
“Nobody is knocking out Tyson Fury. I just don’t think Tyson would even entertain it. I don’t see the point of making a prediction. Nobody would ever knock him out. He’s too long in the tooth. He’s too smart. He’s clever. He’s got so many different attributes to use to negate what you do well.
“Just look at the size of Tyson Fury compared to Moses Itauma. And I know people will say that Itauma is a similar size to Oleksandr Usyk. But you’re talking about possibly one of the greatest boxers of this generation. You cannot compare Moses Itauma to Oleksandr Usyk.”
Bellew then seemed to back Fury, not because he is certain he would win, but because of the questions around Itauma that can only be answered with experience.
“Moses has got to go past six rounds. No one can be picking Moses against the top level heavyweights if he hasn’t been past six rounds. I don’t doubt how good he is. I think he’s absolutely exceptional. But you will never know how good he is until he goes past six rounds.
“He might be winning by country mile, but it’s uncharted territory. It’s unknown ground that he’s walking on when he goes past six rounds and it’s all well and good saying you’ve done it in the gym. I tell fighters all the time that the gym ain’t the ring on fight night. The pressure, the lights, the cameras, the will and an urge to win.”
Itauma is looking at a ring return in early 2026, though finding a suitable and willing opponent is proving hard. As for Fury, fans still want him to return to face Anthony Joshua.
