Ready to take on all comers next, Moses Itauma has one fight in mind which he has no intentions of booking next.
Returning to the ring overnight, Itauma would demolish Dillian Whyte with a brutal first-round knockout win in their WBO inter-continental heavyweight title fight in Saudi Arabia.
And already linked with a whole laundry list of potential opponents he may face next, Itauma’s victory over Whyte was ridiculed by many within the community, despite his win — due to the dominant nature of his win.
But with links to a particular heavyweight title charge starting to gather more pace, Itauma has played down that specific pairing.
Moses Itauma downplays fight with Oleksandr Usyk next
Already starting to find himself mentioned in the same discourse as the undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, Slovak-born contender Itauma has been backed to the hilt by many to even dethrone the Ukrainian star.
And with Saudi royal adviser Turki Alalshikh joining the ranks to suggest a pairing between Usyk and Itauma next, the 13-0 prospect has played down the matchup for the time being.
“I put on a performance for you guys, so it’s now ‘who’s next?'” Itauma said after his win over Whyte.
“I don’t want to call out (Oleksandr) Usyk because I don’t believe I deserve the opportunity.
“But guys that do deserve the opportunity – I want to fight those lot.”
Injury sidelines Oleksandr Usyk from return
Linked for the last number of weeks with a return against the above-mentioned Joseph Parker, Ukrainian star Usyk is set for a spell on the sidelines through injury, however.
As confirmed by Queensberry Promotions leader Frank Warren, Usyk has requested an extension on talks to defend his titles against the WBO star Parker, however, will face a period out of action as he deals with another injury setback.
And while talks of a potential fight with Itauma have been few and far between in recent weeks, Usyk has been warned of one potential rising star who could likely topple him.