Which route should Moussa Itauma take for the Oleksandr Usyk super-fight?

bRitten’s rising heavyweight star Moses will be sad He has finally found his next opponent after being ordered to face WBA (Regular) Heavyweight Champion Kubrat Pulev.

Itauma, 20, has been preparing for a December fight since dispatching the former world title challenger dillian white Within one round in August.

He hasn’t found any happiness yet, but the fight with Pulev now looms. Pulev is an established name in the heavyweight division, having lost only three of his 35 fights, one less than against Wladimir Klitschko. anthony joshua And Dereck Chisora.

But is he the right opponent for Itauma? Has been linked with a super-fight against Britain oleksandr usyk In 2026 and now must try to chart a path for the Ukrainian great.

Let’s assess the options available to Itauma as he bids to lock down a shot at Usyk.

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fight kubrat pulev

Pulev won the regular version of the WBA title last December when he defeated Mahmoud Charar in his homeland Bulgaria.

Only Klitschko and Joshua have been able to take Pulev inside the distance, with the former winning via fifth-round stoppage in 2014.

Six years later, Joshua was taken all the way to the ninth round before landing the final punch.

Pulev has proven his durability and can offer Itauma some much needed rounds. The Brit has never gone further than six rounds, and it has been over two years since he was taken past the third round.

If he’s going to face Usyk, it would be useful for Itauma to get some experience taking on deeper waters first.

However, there is no guarantee that Pulev will be able to do so at this stage of his career. He is now 44 years old and has been inactive in recent times.

Itauma has easily defeated older opponents like Whyte and Marius Wach and will learn little from doing the same to Pulev.

clean up home landscape

Britain has a thriving domestic landscape boxingblue-riband division and Itauma may feel he has to prove he is the best on home soil before facing Usyk.

Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua are both expected to return in 2026 and are likely to aim for a fight against each other, but Itauma could be keeping an eye on other British contenders.

He has been linked with a fight against David Adele, who gave a good account of himself in his last outing against Filip Hrgovic on the undercard of Itauma’s win over Whyte.

Itauma and Adeleye are both propagated by Queensberry and should be easy to counter. Frank Warren also has Lawrence Okolie and Daniel Dubois on his books, and they could challenge Itauma.

Okolie is highly ranked after winning world titles at cruiserweight and bridgerweight. His strange fighting style may also raise questions that have not been asked of Itauma before.

Meanwhile, Dubois has shown he is a world-class operator by beating players like Joshua and Hrgovic. He has lost twice to Usyk, and Itauma will probably want to see how he fares against Dubois compared to the current heavyweight king.

If Itauma can defeat some of his domestic rivals in high-profile bouts in the coming months, he will look to be ready to face Usyk in the second half of 2026.

chase joseph parker fight

joseph parker Is due to fight with Itauma’s stablemate, fabio wardleyOn October 25 at the O2 Arena.

The winner will next be in line to challenge Usyk, but there is a feeling the undefeated Ukrainian may opt to vacate his WBO belt for a more financially lucrative fight.

If this is the case, Parker or Wardley are likely to be upgraded to full champion status.

Itauma and Wardle are expected to be kept apart for the time being due to having the same coach. However, a victory for Parker later this month could see him emerge as a potential rival to Itauma.

Itauma is the No. 1 ranked heavyweight in the WBO and will need to take aim at Parker. If he can get past Parker, it would be the biggest win of his career and prove beyond a doubt that he is the real deal.

The Brit would have got his win and brought a world title title to the table, which is probably what he needed to set up a showdown with Usyk.

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