Moses Itauma’s rise has been so rapid that the biggest question now is not if he will challenge for a world heavyweight title, but who he would face when he gets there — and whether even Oleksandr Usyk could stop him.
Promoter Frank Warren has already backed his man to fight for a world title in 2026, yet the scale of the task is hard to ignore. Usyk, the reigning WBC, WBA and IBF champion, remains the division’s gold standard.
Despite his fledgling career and tender age of just 21, Itauma has already been linked with a future showdown against the two-time undisputed champion.
Remarkably, such is the hype surrounding the Brit that he has fought only 13 times and boxed just 26 professional rounds, compared to the 204 rounds Usyk has logged across 24 fights at cruiserweight and heavyweight.
Itauma returns on January 24 against tough campaigner Jermaine Franklin Jr, while Usyk (24-0, 15 KOs) is targeting a clash with former WBC ruler Deontay Wilder as he looks to round off a run that has already seen him defeat Anthony Joshua, Daniel Dubois and Tyson Fury twice.
In the sanctioning body rankings, Itauma is already the number one contender with both the WBA and WBO — the latter belt now belonging to Fabio Wardley after Usyk vacated the title, allowing the Brit to be elevated from interim to full world champion.
Former WBA super-middleweight champion George Groves, now a regular pundit across TV and radio, offered his take on a potential Usyk–Itauma meeting when speaking to The Escapist in July of last year.
“I think he beats Moses Itauma now. I think maybe in 12 months he won’t beat Itauma. And maybe then that is like the passing of the torch.”
Usyk has indicated he would like to fight two or three more times, a schedule that could take him into 2027. If both men continue on their current trajectories — and maintain their unbeaten records — the clash Groves alluded to may yet become unavoidable.
For now, Itauma (13-0, 11 KOs) remains the future and Usyk the present — but in a division defined by timing, the moment when those two realities collide may be closer than anyone expected. Groves will have a keen eye on their next outings, measuring how much Itauma improves and checking if Usyk is losing a step.
