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Moses Itauma Set To Return On Usyk-Dubois II Undercard, Rules Out Two Opponents

Originally posted on KO on SI | By Johan Alyas Blanco | Last updated May 29, 2025 12:00 PM ET

Moses Itauma is not wasting any time trying to rise up the ranks in the heavyweight division.

The Ring Magazine is reporting that the heavyweight prodigy is returning to the ring on the undercard of the Oleksandr Usyk vs. Daniel Dubois rematch. That event is July 19th at Wembley Stadium in London.

The news comes only five days after Itauma's last fight, where he knocked out Mike Balogun in the second round on May 24th. In that bout, Itauma (12-0, 10 KOs) put Balogun (21-2, 16 KOs) on the canvas on three separate occasions, while taking little-to-no damage.

With his latest performance, the 20-year-old is now ranked in the top 10 of three of the four sanctioning bodies at heavyweight. He is No. 3 in the WBA, No. 7 in the IBF and is the No. 1 contender according to the WBO.

This next fight could see a major step up in competition for the prospect, with either a big name or a rising contender in the works. But we can rule out a few names that will not be the next opponent for Itauma. Frank Warren, Itauma's promoter, said that neither Martin Bakole or former WBO champion Joseph Parker are being considered as opponents.

Moses Itauma is set to return on the Oleksandr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois II undercard on July 19th, but Frank Warren has revealed to The Ring that the heavyweight prodigy will not be facing either Martin Bakole or Joseph Parker. pic.twitter.com/efngYZZIlw
— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) May 29, 2025

Parker (36-3, 24 KOs) is currently on the best run of his career, winning six fights in a row. Among the names taken on this run include Deontay Wilder, Zhilei Zhang and most recently Bakole on February 22nd.

Bakole (21-2-1, 16 KOs) has not had the best 2025. He started the year getting stopped by Parker in two rounds after taking the fight on two days notice. Then, he made a quick turnaround, fighting to a majority draw against Efe Ajagba on May 3rd. The recent slump is far from his best form, when he stopped Jared Anderson in fifth round on August 3rd, 2024.