Moses Itauma could be set to challenge for a world title in his next fight.
Itauma proved yet again on Saturday why he is one of the most exciting stars in boxing after he recorded a destructive fifth round knockout win over Jermaine Franklin at Co-Op Live in Manchester.
Franklin had never been stopped before heading into the bout, including in fights with Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte, but a vicious uppercut followed by a right hook sent the American face first onto the canvas and gave Itauma a dominant victory.
Speculation has already begun over who the 21-year-old could face in his next outing, with some fans suggesting he already has the skills to test himself against unified world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.
Instead, it is a battle against WBA Regular heavyweight champion Murat Gassiev that may be next, after Gassiev’s promoter Al Siesta posted on social media confirming they are ready for the fight.
“Amazing performance by Moses. Remember we are READY to host Itauma against our WBA Champion Murat Gassiev NEXT. London, Moscow, Dubai, ANYWHERE.”
Gassiev became WBA Regular champion thanks to a stoppage win over Kubrat Pulev in December, and as Itauma is currently ranked as the number one contender with the WBA, a clash against Gassiev has been touted for some time.
Itauma is also number one with the WBO, so he could also have one eye on the WBO heavyweight title fight between Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois in May, though the youngster recently explained why he may not want to face the possible winner of that bout.
