Moses Itauma could be on the path towards becoming the UK’s greatest ever heavyweight. Now, the man who arguably holds that mantle, Lennox Lewis, has predicted how a fight between Itauma and reigning unified heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk would play out.
Itauma has a long way to go if he is to match the achievements of the likes of Lewis, Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury, but the early signs from the 21-year-old are extremely promising and the youngster looks well capable of capturing a world title this year.
Following his win over Jermaine Franklin last month, promoter Frank Warren revealed that the division’s hottest prospect will appear again in July, before a potential world title challenge at the end of the calendar.
Although, while fans hope to see Itauma take on Usyk, in a battle between the heavyweight king of this generation and his possible successor, it appears as though WBA Regular champion Murat Gassiev could be Itauma’s targeted route for now.
In an interview with iFL TV, boxing legend Lewis said that there is no need for Itauma to rush into major fights and that, if he were to fight Usyk, it would likely prove to be ‘too early’ for him, with the Ukrainian coming out on top.
“Moses is a great, upcoming young fighter. He has got a lot of grit, he throws some good punches.
“My thing is, there is a time where he is going to have to make that move [to the elite level], but that time isn’t now. He has got a lot of time left, so he should take his time. There’s no rush at all.
“If I was him, I would wait until Oleksandr Usyk is retired and then know that ‘I am ruling the heavyweight scene right now’. But, to go in against him right now, is a bit too early.”
Usyk returns to action next month, defending his WBC heavyweight title against Rico Verhoeven at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.
