Tony Bellew delivers honest verdict on Usyk vs. Moses Itauma: ‘It’s a terrible fight for him’
You won’t find many boxing fans doubting that Moses Itauma is the heir to the heavyweight throne, but does he have it in his locker to take it from Oleksandr Usyk now? Former cruiserweight world champion Tony Bellew spoke.
Itauma has 13 victories in his professional campaign, including 11 by stoppage. Possessing speed, power and angles, all from the left-handed stance, the 20-year-old continues to impress with every outing.
After a first-round knockout victory over former world title challenger Dillian Whyte in August, Itauma couldn’t avoid questions about the final step to face current undisputed leader Usyk.
Usyk, 18 years Itauma’s senior, knocked out the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions in 24 fights. It presents an entirely different challenge, and while some want to see it take place on the ropes, others have strongly cautioned against it.
Speaking to Sporting Talk, Bellew – who was stopped by the Ukrainian in his last professional fight in 2018 – said it was a bad decision to take part in the fight just now.
“I think it’s a terrible fight for Moses Itauma. I just think throwing this kid to the wolves at this point, this early in his career, I just don’t understand why? He’s a young man. Let him develop. Let him learn his craft.”
Itauma’s team struggled to match him after the declared victory over Whyte, which took him just two minutes, with many top heavyweights apparently refusing the fight outright or asking for unrealistic purses.
In another blow, the order to face WBA Regular champion Kubrat Pulev was recently scrapped when the sanctioning body cleared the Bulgarian to strike a deal with Murat Gassiev, a fight that will take place on December 13 in Dubai.
