Moses Itauma has officially been given the opportunity to fight for a world heavyweight title.
Itauma has been tipped for many years to be the heir to the heavyweight throne, and at one stage had ambitions to break Mike Tyson’s record as the youngest world heavyweight champion in history.
While that never materialised, wins over the likes of Dillian Whyte and Jermaine Franklin means the 21-year-old was on the cusp of a crack at world honours, but after Oleksandr Usyk vacated his world title belts, the opportunity has come sooner than expected.
That’s because the IBF have now officially ordered Itauma to face Frank Sanchez for their vacant heavyweight title, with the teams having until July 29 to negotiate a deal.
Sanchez is ranked number one with the IBF, earning that position following his knockout win over Richard Torrez Jr in May, and his manager has stated how they expected a clash against Itauma to take place for the vacant title.
The major issue is that Itauma is already scheduled to take on Filip Hrgovic in August, meaning a fight against Sanchez won’t be able to happen next, though a deal could be struck for a step aside or for the clash to take place in the future.
The IBF are the second governing body to act after Usyk vacated his titles, with the WBC elevating Agit Kabayel from interim status to full champion over the weekend, while the WBA are yet to announce what they plan to do with their belt.
