CO-OP LIVE. MANCHESTER — After shrugging himself away from some grappling and trading at the bell in the fourth round, Moses Itauma nudged past Jermaine Franklin and smiled.
The prodigiously talented British heavyweight almost appeared to be breaking out into a chuckle, as if he knew that the brutal uppercut stoppage of his American foe would follow in the next session – a capacity crowd of 20,000 in Manchester treated to a clear early frontrunner for knockout of the year, 2026.
“I dunno, I was being an idiot. I shouldn’t be smiling, to be honest,” Itauma said at his post-fight press conference, flashing another grin with no qualms.
Saturday night’s statement performance came at the end of a week when the previously reluctant younger showed a bit more of himself to the media and fans.
The 21-year-old is starting to appear more comfortable in a spotlight he’s going to have to get used to. After 14 wins with 12 knockouts, the next generation of heavyweight boxing already looks to be Itauma’s for the taking. It was therefore heartening to hear him clearly articulate a deeper appreciation for the aspects of this grizzled old sport that continue to drag us back in, beneath the glitz of the glamour division and all its blustering bravado.
MORE: Moses Itauma vs. Jermaine Franklin full card results
“There’s something about boxing that’s so pure,” he said. “Going in front of an arena, having a fight and putting yourself in a vulnerable position to, I guess, lose your respect, it’s just something that I enjoy. It can’t be faked.
“Anything else can be faked. Love can be faked, happiness can be faked, but that in there, that’s as real as you can get. I guess I was able to be under that pressure and feel good. That’s why [I smiled]. I’d come to terms with reality, and I guess I liked it.”
There’s no need for Itauma to fake anything right now. Why on earth would he? It’s already a cliché to say this lavishly gifted southpaw has the skills, balance, footwork, and speed of a middleweight, underpinned by the ring IQ of a veteran. He’s ridiculously, giddyingly exciting. For those who have ruled for chunks of the past decade, however, there’s a need to spin a few yarns.
Take the perpetually unretiring Tyson Fury, who returns against Arslanbek Makhmudov next weekend, aged 37. Anthony Joshua turns 37 later this year and is currently mulling his own return – following a period of horrific personal torment – under the watchful eye of unified champion Oleksandr Usyk. The Ukrainian master is 39 and has earned the novelty of taking on kickboxer Rico Verhoeven (one professional contest under the Queensberry Rules, 12 years ago) at the Pyramids of Giza for another small fortune.
Deontay Wilder is 40 and takes on Derek Chisora, the 42-year-old great survivor of this heavyweight era, in London on Saturday night. Chisora has long pledged this 50th professional contest will be his last, and a bill-topping showdown with one of the most ferocious punchers in history could provide a storybook ending. If Wilder manages to detonate that famous right hand for a spectacular win at the O2 Arena, he’ll probably put himself in the conversation for a clash of eras with Itauma. However, the Alabama hero has lost four of his past six contests, three by knockout.
MORE: Where does Moses Itauma rank on The Sporting News’ 25 under 25?
Moses Itauma next fight
The Usyk clash would have obvious lustre, with the potential for the baton to be passed. It could easily loom into view over the coming months as Itauma is highly ranked by all four of the major sanctioning bodies. An all-British clash with Fury or Joshua would sell out Wembley Stadium in a heartbeat. But such generation-hopping matchups can often feel like a better idea beforehand than they are in practice. What’s in it for the rising star, who risks that respect Itauma references, only to be told they beat up an old man if everything goes to plan?
“Listen, Usyk has earned the right to do whatever he wants,” Itauma said. “There’s a pecking order that obviously I’ve got to respect. I don’t pay attention to any of that; I don’t really care what any of these other heavyweights think or feel. I know what the truth is, and I know the ability that I’m capable of. Now I’ve got to go out there and show it.”
In an ideal world, Usyk, Wilder, Fury, and Joshua sort out anything else that needs to be sorted between themselves and depart happily with their fortunes. There’s a rich array of intriguing matchups out there for Itauma that will allow him to forge his own path, rather than stealing in as the sun sets on the best heavyweight crop since the 1990s.
“[Filip] Hrgovic is a great fight for me. But he’s boxing Dave Allen, so we’ve just got to go back to the drawing board and see who’s available,” Itauma added. “We’ll find them.”
Queensberry
Handily for Itauma, his promoter Frank Warren has a packed stable of heavyweight contenders, so plenty of fights can be made in-house. Current WBO champion Fabio Wardley is a training partner of Itauma under Ben Davison and, as such, there is no appetite for the two to clash despite the younger man’s pending mandatory status with the organisation. If former IBF champ Daniel Dubois can dethrone Wardley in what promises to be an explosive May 9 clash, Itauma would be the next in line.
Warren recently brought American Jared Anderson under the Queensberry Promotions umbrella. Some of the shine has come off ‘The Real Big Baby’ as the heavyweight division’s next big thing, but a bout with Itauma would be an easy sell. Lawrence Okolie could be an intriguing option if he gets past 2016 Olympic gold medalist Tony Yoka on April 25, while another former cruiserweight king, Murat Gassiev, is now the WBA ‘regular’ champion.
We probably don’t even know who Itauma’s greatest rival is yet. He’s 21. He’s the mouthwatering future of an ever-fractured sport that is lucky to have him.
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