RISING heavyweight star Moses Itauma could face Otto Wallin or Jermaine Franklin – two former Anthony Joshua opponents – in his next outing, says manager Francis Warren.
The ferocious wrecking machine returned to action on Saturday, twice dropping former American footballer Mike Balogun before halting proceedings with a stunning second-round finish.
In doing so, Itauma, 12-0 (10 KOs), has now earned himself a number-one ranking with the WBO, putting a potential world title shot well within reach.
But before that, the 20-year-old must first prove himself against a mid-tier heavyweight, with both Wallin and Franklin representing sterner assignments than Balogun.
Of the two, Wallin is perhaps best known to British fight fans, as his outing with Tyson Fury, in particular, catapulted him into the spotlight back in 2019.
And to his credit, the Swedish southpaw gave a strong account of himself in their 12-round encounter after opening a horrendous cut above his opponent’s right eye.
Against Joshua, 28-4 (25 KOs), though, Wallin found himself getting cleaned out inside five rounds, before producing a far more negative display against Derek Chisora last February.
Franklin, meanwhile, took ‘AJ’ the distance – while also losing a unanimous decision – in 2023, just a few months after suffering a highly contentious points defeat to Dillian Whyte.
But still, both he and Wallin have proven themselves to be a tricky night’s work in previous performances, often displaying a level of ambition while occupying the away corner.
Either fighter could therefore step up to face dynamic puncher Itauma who, according to Warren, is set for an Oleksandr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois 2 undercard clash on July 19.
“I think Otto Wallin would be a great fight for him next,” Warren told BoxNation.
“Otto’s proven himself to be a very durable, tough opponent, who garners respect from the boxing community because of the work he’s done against Tyson [Fury] and Anthony [Joshua].
“For Moses – who wants to get rounds in – that’s probably a great shout. Jermaine Franklin’s another one that I particularly like the look of.”
