Oleksandr Usyk, the undisputed heavyweight champion, has got a new challenger on his hands. Moses Itauma, a young and unbeaten knockout artist, wants to fight Usyk before the champ hangs up his gloves.
Usyk, who's 38, holds the WBA, WBO, and WBC heavyweight titles. He's thinking about retiring soon but wants to become a two-time undisputed champion first. He beat Tyson Fury twice last year, first in May to become undisputed, and then again in December. But he had to give up his IBF belt, which Daniel Dubois now has.
On the other side, we've got 20-year-old Itauma. He's won all 11 of his fights, knocking out 9 opponents. He's a hard-hitting southpaw who's stopped his last seven opponents. He's beaten guys like Mariusz Wach and Demsey McKean, and people think he could be a world champion one day.
Itauma told Sky Sports why he wants to fight Usyk:
"[Usyk] knows the talent. It takes talent to see talent and I think he knows it. I'm not doing it for Usyk's praise. I'm doing it for myself and my family. I want it to be Dubois and then me."
Itauma wants Usyk to fight Dubois first, then face him. But Usyk only plans to fight twice more before retiring. He'll probably fight Dubois next to try and get back the IBF title and become undisputed again.
It's not likely Itauma will get to fight Usyk. But he's got a bright future ahead. He might get a shot at the top level soon, maybe fighting for titles after Usyk retires. He could even end up in an all-British clash with Dubois.
The heavyweight division is changing. Usyk's got most of the belts, Dubois has one, and Tyson Fury, "The Gypsy King," just retired after losing twice to Usyk. It's an exciting time for young fighters like Itauma to make their mark.
