MOSES ITAUMA is expected to return to action before 2025 comes to a close, only it might not be against a calibre of opponent that fans are likely hoping for.
The precocious talent was last seen engineering a blistering first-round finish against Dillian Whyte, his emphatic performance only enhancing the layer of hype that surrounds promising career.
Sure enough, it was a marginal step-up in class when compared to previous victims Mike Balogun and Demsey McKean, yet the faded Whyte nonetheless met an equally devastating fate to his heavyweight counterparts last month.
As a result, Itauma, 13-0 (11 KOs), has now firmly established himself as not only a gifted prospect, but also a formidable contender, whose lofty rankings with all four sanctioning bodies have, at least in theory, put him within touching distance of a world title shot.
But with that comes an added degree of pressure, especially with the 20-year-old’s head coach, Ben Davison, insisting that his charge is ready for a stab at bona fide heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk.
The Ukrainian, however, is busy enjoying the fruits of his labour, not giving even the slightest hint as to when he is likely to defend his four major belts.
In the meantime, a clash between WBO ‘interim’ champion Joseph Parker and Fabio Wardley on October 25 is set to determine the leading challenger for Usyk, while Itauma, on the other hand, looks to extend his ruthless surge in December.
Two heavyweights that have been mooted as potential opponents are Filip Hrgivic and Jamaine Franklin Jr, with the former coming off a points victory over David Adeleye while the latter was lucky enough to outpoint Ivan Dychko earlier this month.
According to Davison, though, neither man is particularly keen on fighting Itauma unless a substantial amount of money is put on the table.
“Those are the two on everybody’s lips,” the British trainer told Sky Sports. “They’re not interested and it’s the same for pretty much all of them, so it’s difficult.”
“It’s difficult to get these opponents at this moment in time. They’re not interested, they don’t want to play ball.
“They just want so much money to box him it’s hard to get the opponents. The next fight, if we can pull something off and get somebody like that – we’re all for that. That’s what we’re after, the same as everybody else.
“But if not, I suppose we’ll have to drop down a level and try again in the new year maybe.”
Elsewhere on the Sky Sports podcast, Martin Baloke, who comes off a controversial draw with Efe Ajagba, was put to Davison as another possible option for Itauma.
Davison, however, responded by suggesting that the heavyweight contender’s fearsome reputation has diminished since his second-round stoppage defeat to Parker in February.
