Moses Itauma’s trainer, Ben Davison, says a fight against Oleksandr Usyk wouldn’t be about money for the 20-year-old Itauma. It would be about Moses getting a chance “to go against possibly the best heavyweight of any era.” He would be getting that opportunity if the fight happens.
Itauma’s Trainer’s Expert Opinion
“That’s what Turki wants,” said trainer Ben Davison to The Stomping Grounds about Turki Alalshikh wanting Moses Itauma to challenge Oleksandr Usyk for his undisputed heavyweight championship next. “It’s not about the money. It’s a chance for Moses to go out against possibly the best heavyweight of any era. I’m getting a chance to test my skills against him.'”
Itauma will be taking a big chance fighting Usyk in his 14th fight with so little experience in the pro ranks, and only 26 rounds. Queensberry, the promoters for Itauma, will factor in the decision-making if Turki does choose to push for the Usyk fight next for Moses. They took a chance recently putting their fighter Daniel Dubois in with Usyk twice, and came up empty both times.
“Usyk hasn’t been in the ring with someone like Moses because there hasn’t been someone like him.” said Davison. “Someone that can match the IQ of anyone at any weight. Someone who is agile, quick, and hits as hard. He hasn’t.”
Usyk has experience in the pro ranks against these big punchers:
- Anthony Joshua x 2
- Murat Gassiev
- Tony Bellew
- Mairis Briedis
- Daniel Dubois x 2
- Marco Huck
- Derek Chisora
- Krzysztof Glowacki
- Pedro Julio Rodriguez
The Quest for More Rounds
“If we went in that fight and lost, what would be the one thing I would go, ‘Probably should have done with this before going into that fight?’ I would say rounds,” said Davison. “It’s not like we haven’t been trying to deliver that. There are one or two names in my mind that I think are the right guys who have a chance of delivering that. If we don’t get the rounds from those guys, it’s a case that we’re not going to get them,” said Davison.
Boxing experts George Groves and Tony Bellew would like for Itauma to get more experience before challenging Usyk for his titles. As Davison mentions, Itauma needs more rounds to improve his stamina, give him experience, and show fans that he can take a punch.
Moses Itauma’s Professional Record:
- 8 first-round knockouts
- 3 second-round KOs
- 2 six-round decisions
