Moses Itauma is on the lookout for a July opponent ahead of a planned world title challenge at the end of the year, but there is one former heavyweight world champion who fellow Briton David Price believes the youngster should swerve.
Itauma has not fought beyond six rounds in his 14 professional outings to date, knocking out 12 of his opponents thus far and rising into heavyweight title contention at the age of just 21-years-old.
Last time out, Itauma did what Dillian Whyte and Anthony Joshua could not, handing Michigan’s Jermaine Franklin the first stoppage defeat of his career and putting the heavyweight division on notice.
During the post-fight interview, promoter Frank Warren revealed that Itauma will return to action in July, in preparation for a world title shot before the end of 2026.
Deontay Wilder has since spoken out and revealed that he is willing to fight the youngster, but Price told Pro Boxing Fans that Itauma should search for an alternate dance partner.
“It is not a great fight for Moses at this stage because he [Wilder] has still got that power and he is yet to be in trouble in a fight, Moses. I would wait for that.
“Deontay Wilder, credit to him. He wants the name that everyone wants to avoid and you have got to take your hat off to him.”
Price then went on to explain why he believes Itauma needs protecting and nurturing at this point in his career, declaring that he thinks Wilder’s legendary punch power could be a problem for the youngster’s relatively untested chin.
“100%, [Wilder can still cause Itauma problems]. Moses, as good as he is, is a human being at the end of the day, he got caught a few times by Jermaine Franklin. No one is impenetrable and every heavyweight can be knocked out.
“At one stage, I thought Joe Joyce looked indestructible, but it only takes the wrong opponent and it’s not about who you fight, it’s about who you don’t fight. I think that Deontay Wilder is not the right fight for Moses, especially now, why would you [fight him]?”
Itauma looked set to pursue the WBA route to world honours, but he now seems poised to be named as the mandatory challenger with a different sanctioning body.
