Moses Itauma (11-0, 9 KOs) is expected to be a future heavyweight star. He just turned twenty, but his record already includes plenty of sparring with the best fighters in his division. Even so, Andy Lee, former middleweight champion and current trainer of Joseph Parker (36-3, 24 KOs), is cooling the enthusiasm of some fans.
"Moses is a great boxer, there's no doubt about that. He has sparred with Joseph before and they were evenly matched, but he only lasted four rounds. For four rounds, any fighter can fight back against a stronger fighter. If he were to fight my guy now, it would be a huge leap up for him. It would be a bold move, but there is a high probability that Itauma would be seriously injured. And that could have a negative impact on his future career," said the respected Irish trainer.
Details of Itauma's next fight are not yet known, although with Okolie and Whyte dropping out due to injuries, he is being considered for the April 5 tournament in Manchester. For his part, Parker has been named by the WBO as a contender for an immediate championship fight with Oleksandr Usyk (23-0, 14 KOs).
