Boxing
Why boxing world shouldn't rule out Usyk-Itauma battle just yet
Itauma vs Franklin: Subscribe to watch - March 28
Oleksandr Usyk recently rattled off his wish list for the three final fights he wants to end his prolific career - but will there still be room for Moses Itauma despite his words?
The unified heavyweight world champion will defend his WBC title against kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven on May 23 at the Giza necropolis, live on DAZN Pay-Per-View .
From there, he wants to face the winner of the upcoming WBO title clash between Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois, before retiring with a trilogy test against Tyson Fury.
A two-time undisputed heavyweight king, Usyk has undoubtedly earned the right to call the shots amidst the twilight of his iconic career, to pick and choose who he wants.
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But just because he has singled out three out of four specific fighters does not mean they will all oppose him just as he has planned. For now, the only certainty is Verhoeven.
Victory for Wardley in his clash with Dubois this May in Manchester would tee up a new foe for the Ukrainian at least, one whose stock continues to soar with every bout.
A result the other way however would tee up a trilogy against a man that Usyk has already shared the ring with twice before, and defeated both times by pulverizing knockouts.
The fights with Fury have been closer, but those points wins against 'The Gypsy King' are definitive too. The latter would be better served chasing an Anthony Joshua mega-bout.
With that said, why shouldn't Itauma's name enter the conversation as a possible opponent for Usyk? The undefeated phenom has put down every roadblock in his path so far.
He faces a battle-tested Jermaine Franklin on Saturday night. If all goes well there, can the 21-year-old star be paired opposite Usyk? The possibility should not be discounted.
The sport's powerbrokers are certainly keen. His Excellency Turki Alalshikh would be for it, as he was when Usyk flattened Dubois by fifth-round knockout last July in London.
Speaking on social media, he took to his X account and posted from ringside at Wembley Stadium as the dust settled: “I want to see Usyk against Itauma. This is the fight.”
Not a fight, the fight. One might ask, ‘What would a proven entity like Usyk gain by fighting a surging, dangerous Itauma?’ Well, what would Usyk gain by defeating Dubois and Fury for a third time each?
If Usyk wants to put his supreme sweet science skills to the test one final time, the explosive Itauma would be an apt, intriguing opponent. When Itauma’s name was brought up by Inside the Ring, Usyk turned down the prospects of facing the 21-year-old, saying, “I don’t want to fight Itauma because he’s a young guy. I don’t want to break this guy.”
Then again, Itauma, who knocked out Dillian Whyte in roughly a minute last summer, might not be so easy to “break.”
This weekend, Itauma collides with a man who has gone the distance with Whyte and Joshua as his only two losses. If Itauma becomes the first man to knock out a rugged Franklin, the eyes on the upstart will only widen.
As would the chatter calling for Usyk to grant Itauma a crack at the unified crown.
In a boxing climate where anything can happen, do not count out Usyk vs. Itauma just yet. His Excellency Turki Alalshikh wants it. So do fans. That's enough of a groundswell to push it to fruition.
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