As much as red-hot heavyweight contender Moses Itauma is blessed with a heck of a lot of talent and skill, the 20 year old is also in good hands as far as who trains him. Ben Davison, who has worked with, amongst others, former heavyweight champ Tyson Fury, is recognised as one of the best boxing coaches on the scene.
It might then come as something of a surprise when Davison says he would put Itauma, just 13-0(11) in with reigning unified, four-belt heavyweight champ Oleksandr Usyk right now. While Usyk is not expected to box again this year, Itauma is set for a December bout, this against a “top 10 ranked opponent” according to Frank Warren. But Davison, speaking with Sky Sports, said he would take a fight with Usyk now were it offered to the young British southpaw.
Is Davison Serious Or Just Hyping The Young Prospect?
“I would take it. I would,” Davison said of a shot at Usyk for Itauma. “I think it’s a win-win. As much as Moses hasn’t boxed anybody like Usyk, I don’t think Usyk’s boxed anybody like Moses. I think he would openly say that himself. It’s something he [Itauma] would be up for. I think he’s got the mindset: if you’re taking a dive [deep into world class] you might as well take THE dive. Hopefully we may end up in a world title fight.”
Ask most boxing experts, and it’s not ‘if’ Itauma wins a world heavyweight title, it’s ‘when.’ But is Itauma really ready for Usyk, a generational great who, judging by his last performance, this a dominant KO win over Daniel Dubois in a rematch, is still very much at the top of his game? We have over the years seen plenty of good, young fighters ruined as a result of them being moved far too fast.
Would Usyk Stick Around Long Enough To Meet Itauma?
One of the great thing Itauma has on his side is time, at age 20 he has zero need to rush. It will be interesting to see how the heavyweight landscape turns out in 2026, whether or not Usyk will retire, thus vacating his four belts. If, instead, Usyk opts to stick around for a couple more fights, then maybe the future Hall of Famer will indeed fight the future champion. Turki Alalshikh wants to see Usyk-Itauma, too. And for absolute certain, Usyk Vs. Itauma would be fascinating to watch.
