Itauma Told To Avoid Usyk – ‘It’s Way Too Soon’

Lennox Lewis believes Moses Itauma should avoid boxing the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion Oleksandr Usyk, allowing him to then dominate the heavyweight division. 

Itauma is coming off a first-round knockout of Dillian Whyte last month, marking the biggest win of his career. In his post-fight comments, Itauma mentioned several names for his next fight, including Usyk. The Ukrainian became undisputed at heavyweight for a second time after stopping Daniel Dubois in July. Usyk’s team have downplayed the Itauma fight, stating that the Brit has several other options even if the Saudis want this fight. And with Usyk reportedly set to retire after his next fight, Lewis has advised Itauma to wait for him to retire. 

“It’s way too soon. It’s better to wait until he retires. He [Usyk]’s not going to stay around too long, and then take your shot. There’s no use doing it now. Right now you’re learning. You’re learning everything and you have to wait for the right time. You can never be rushed. If you’re rushed, you’re going to do a bad result for your career, so it’s better to take your time and take it when it’s ready, when you’re ready,” Itauma said

Usyk’s Future

As for Usyk, the Ukrainian will not fight again in 2025. Frank Warren confirmed that the champion is sidelined due to injury, as requested that the WBO “discharge his mandatory” obligations against Joseph Parker. WBO President Gustavo Olivieri will make the final decision. If the extension is given, Usyk will hold the belts until 2026. 

The WBO mandatory challenger Joseph Parker will be keeping an eye on this. He is expected to fight Fabio Wardley in October. Meanwhile, Moses Itauma, who is ranked number one by both the WBA and WBO, is also booking at the situation. The situation has thrown the entire heavyweight division into a period of uncertainty.

Usyk could be stripped of one or more of his titles. The WBO has already shown a degree of impatience by publicly questioning Usyk’s injury claim after a video of him dancing went viral. If Usyk is stripped, then that would likely elevate Parker to full champion status.