Usyk vs Itauma: A Fight That Needs to Happen
By Eddie Sanchez
Moses Itauma sent a message to close out March. The 21-year-old British heavyweight didn’t just beat Jermaine Franklin Jr., he throughly dominated him.
He made a brutal statement with his fifth-round knockout. A decisive one. The kind of statement that makes you sit up and wonder if we’re watching the next generation arrive ahead of schedule. Fans have heard and seen Itauma look great, but we didn’t see him against an opponent of this caliber. He face a tested veteran, and showed that he was no match.
Franklin isn’t a world-beater, but he’s fought Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte. He went the distance with both and had won every other fight in his career. He was a legitimate test entering the fight.
Itauma needs to be fast-tracked to a title shot, politics and Usyk’s wishes be damned.
Oleksandr Usyk has Rico Verhoeven next on May 23rd at the Pyramids of Giza. It’s more of a spectacle, rather than a legacy fight. Rico is a kickboxing legend crossing over to challenge for the WBC heavyweight title. Before that matchup materialized, Usyk mentioned wanting Deontay Wilder, and honestly, the timing might still work for later in 2026. We’re one week out from Wilder vs Derek Chisora, a fight that’s either going to resurrect Wilder’s title dreams or retire him.
If Wilder wins and looks sellable to the US market, he becomes an attractive option for Usyk to fight in Las Vegas. I’m fine with that. Usyk deserves another payday, especially one in the States, where he last fought in 2019. But, regardless of what happens with Wilder, Usyk NEEDS to fight Itauma before he hangs up the gloves.
Usyk has said he has three fights left in his career, including the Verhoeven fight. That’s two more after May. The WBC has already made it clear that Agit Kabayel, the interim champion, is set to be the mandatory challenger immediately after Verhoeven. If they push that mandatory and Wilder beats Chisora convincingly enough, Usyk should just vacate the WBC belt and fight Wilder next. Let Kabayel fight the winner of Fabio Wardley vs Daniel Dubois (scheduled for May 9th) to unify the WBC and WBO belt.
Fans might be annoyed about Usyk vacating, but the man has cleaned out two divisions up to this point and reached Undisputed at both cruiserweight and heavyweight. He’s earned the right to chase money and legacy on his terms. A unification between Kabayel and the Wardley/Dubois winner (imo probably Wardley) would be fantastic for the sport in its own right. Usyk wouldn’t be holding up the division. He’d simply knock off another career checkmark while letting the future of the division sort themselves out.
If Wilder loses to Chisora, or wins but looks shot, then it’s a moot point anyway. Usyk can either fight Kabayel or skip straight to the fight that matters for his legacy.
If we have to wait for Itauma to be Usyk’s third and final fight, I’m fine with that. Actually, I’d prefer it. That matchup would be a fitting finale to Usyk’s career, and Itauma could fight Gassiev for the WBA regular belt in the meantime.
Usyk vs Itauma is the fight that needs to happen. It would be a hell of a task for the Ukrainian. Itauma is big, strong, fast, a southpaw, and throws combinations like he’s been doing this for a decade. Usyk, at least until proven otherwise, is a savant. The master technician against the next generation. That’s the fight.
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