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Moses Itauma's route to Oleksandr Usyk
Moses Itauma is preparing for the toughest fight of his career against Dillian Whyte on August 16 in Saudi Arabia, but he will also have one eye on the heavyweight titles currently held by Oleksandr Usyk.
Itauma has been targeting heavyweight gold since he turned professional, initially targeting Mike Tyson’s record of the youngest-ever heavyweight champion. This has now passed him by, but he has quickly become heir apparent in the division.
Fighting a former world challenger in Whyte signals a big step up in opposition for the Slovakian-born heavyweight, and if he is victorious, it will open up much more lucrative opportunities for him.
As Usyk’s future remains uncertain, where can Itauma make his next move to put himself near the front of the queue to get his shot at the Ukrainian or one of the world titles when they are eventually split up?
Here’s the breakdown.
Joseph Parker
Richard Pelham/Getty Images
Itauma is ranked as the number one contender with the WBO, only being outranked by the interim champion Joseph Parker.
The WBO have ordered negotiations between Parker and Usyk, but the fight has gained no traction with Riyadh Season and Sela announcing they will not promote it.
Parker’s New Zealand-based promoter also revealed that Usyk has made no attempt to engage in negotiations with the Kiwi.
Higgins said: “Last time I spoke to Frank Warren, there had been no engagement. This is what I was told.”
Suppose the mandated fight between Parker and Usyk cannot be made and the champion is forced to vacate his belt. In that case, Parker’s interim belt will become elevated to full champion status, and Itauma will be the number one contender.
If Itauma can beat Whyte and prove his mettle at the world level against a veteran, then taking on Parker could be next.
Frank Warren, both men’s promoter, has weighed in on a fight between the two and said that if a fight between Usyk and Parker, then Itauma is next in line for a shot at Parker.
Warren said: “If the fight doesn’t take place between Oleksandr Usyk and Joe Parker, then they will order the next available contender, and the next available contender in the ratings is Moses.”
- Read next | Itauma vs Whyte: Relive the story of heavyweight boxing's brightest prospect ahead of toughest test
Efe Ajagba
Getty Images
If Usyk does not intend to defend any of his undisputed titles and they are tied up until 2026, Ajagba is the highest-ranked man who could fight Itauma, according to the IBF.
He sits at number three, and Itauma is number six. Derek Chisora is ranked number two, but made it very clear he has no intentions of fighting the young prospect despite being offered $2 million.
Ajagba is coming off a lacklustre draw with former bogeyman Martin Bakole, and a fight with Itauma could be an eliminator for the vacant number one contender spot.
This would leave Itauma in prime position to fight for the vacant title if Usyk retires, or if he decides to fight again in 2026 – it would put him in at least the front four of the queue.
Agit Kabayel
Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing
Kabayel is the WBC interim champion and currently has no opponents lined up - having not fought since he knocked out Zhilei Zhang in February.
Although it seems Kabayel might be exercising patience and waiting for Usyk to decide what he intends to do with his titles. This will have minimal impact on his immediate future because Joseph Parker will be the first man to get a shot at Usyk if he decides to defend.
If Itauma is victorious over Whyte, a man who held the top spot with the WBC for over 1,000 days, then his ranking will be boosted and allow him to challenge Kabayel for his interim belt if he has to defend it.
The only roadblock for Itauma lies with the top contender, Lawrence Okolie, who has been calling out the German. But Okolie recently suffered a bicep injury and is out of action for an unknown period.
Michael Hunter
(Dave Thompson/Matchroom Boxing)
Michael Hunter is the only man ranked higher than Itauma with the WBA and is supposed to be fighting Kubrat Pulev this year for his WBA regular heavyweight title.
If this fight happens before the end of the year, then Itauma can take on the winner as the de facto number one contender in early 2026.
Hunter would be another good litmus test for Itauma if he can beat Pulev, as he has shared the ring with Usyk, when he challenged the Ukrainian for his WBO cruiserweight title in 2017.
The fight went the distance, and although it was a wide decision, it is a valuable experience that Itauma can feed off and potentially grab a world title (of sorts).
Watch Itauma vs Whyte live on DAZN
You can watch Moses Itauma vs Dillian Whyte live on DAZN on August 16. More information is available here.
