Moses Itauma Next Fight: ‘Next Mike Tyson’ gets former AJ opponent

Heavyweight phenom Moses Itauma is causing widespread excitement with his fan-friendly style and supernatural power. The Commonwealth heavyweight champion is 13-0 with 11 knockouts. Terrifyingly, every single one of those stoppages has come in the first two rounds.

Still only 20 years of age, it is easy to see why Itauma seems forged in ‘Iron’. Can his next opponent make it out of the second stanza? Read on for everything you need to know about Moses Itauma’s next fight.

Every diminutive, preternaturally skilled number 10/winger/striker hybrid wonderkid in football these days is classed as ‘the next Lionel Messi’. NBA icon Kobe Bryant was originally contextualised as ‘the next Michael Jordan’, while LeBron James made the MJ comparisons he received literal by taking over the reins for a Space Jam sequel.

‘The next Mike Tyson’ was a figure that boxing was desperate to anoint before the former ‘Kid Dynamite’ had even hung up the gloves. But his comebacks in 2020 and 2025 have proved Mike to be an addiction the sport does not know how to quit.

We have had ‘White Tyson’ Ruslan Chagaev, who was about as similar to ‘Iron’ Mike as the aforementioned Messi is. What about ‘Twin Tyson’? Jobbing heavyweight Clifford Couser’s unsubstantiated claim to be Mike’s half-brother was more memorable than his fights. Lamon Brewster knocked out Wladimir Klitschko for the WBO title and a first-round KO of former Tyson foe Andrew Golota in his second title defence drew clear parallels. But he lost four of his following seven fights then retired.

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Pickings were so slim that there was an unspoken decision to search other weight classes for an heir. There was Jeff Lacy, the squat super middleweight champion who knocked out all and sundry before Joe Calzaghe comprehensively dismantled him in 2006. Tyrone Brunson was a middleweight prospect who won his initial 19 fights by first-round knockout, a boxing world record. He then drew his 20th against just the second man he’d faced who had a winning record. ‘Young Gun’ retired in 2019 at 28-8-2.

Which explains why Itauma is attracting so much attention. He has the early knockouts that epitomised Tyson, with just just a pair of six-round decisions in his third and fourth fight blemishing his destructive streak. But, unlike many of the pretenders, Itauma is also unbelievably young.

The Slovakia-born Brit was, at one time, targeting Tyson’s record as the youngest heavyweight champion of all time. But Itauma, while not 21 until three days after Christmas, has wisely been steered away from that by promotional sage Frank Warren. Good things come to those who wait, even if it looks like Itauma might not have to wait too long. 

Queensberry have moved the starlet in a sensible manner. Itauma’s first opponent of any real profile came in his sixth fight, when he knocked out Istvan Bernath in the first round. The Hungarian was a two-time EU Championships silver medalist as an amateur, but had just been stopped in four rounds against journeyman Terrell Jamal Woods. Right fight, right time.

The trajectory has continued in this vein. Mariusz Wach challenged for Wladimir Klitschko’s world heavyweight title in 2012, but is now a gatekeeper. The durable Pole had never been knocked out earlier than the sixth round before. Itauma dissected him in two.

That victory necessitated a step-up in class. Demsey McKean looked to provide that. The Aussie was world-ranked and his only defeat came in the 12th-round to top contender Filip Hrgovic. Itauma’s work was done inside the first round. Mike Balogun, the ex-NFL star turned fringe heavyweight, lasted two rounds six months later. 

The big-punching prospect seemed to improve with every fight, so Queensberry rolled the dice. Dillian Whyte, the former WBC title challenger who has beaten everyone from Joseph Parker to Derek Chisora to Jermaine Franklin.

‘The Body Snatcher’ was supposed to give Itauma rounds. He did not even give Moses ‘round’, singular, succumbing after just two minutes. The narrative afterwards was that Whyte is 37 and thus finished. But beforehand people were expecting Dillian’s durability and experience to ask questions of Itauma. The veteran was world-ranked and had won three on the bounce since his 2022 defeat to Tyson Fury, so it was not like he was being wheeled in as cannon fodder.

But it is becoming increasingly hard for anyone to look like more than meat for the 20-year-old to rip apart. Which is why talk of titles has come into view. Turki Alalshikh, who fronts up Saudi Arabia’s ever-growing boxing efforts, has gone on record saying he wants to see Itauma against undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.

That fight is a profoundly bad idea. Itauma looks the business, but has nowhere near the seasoning to beat a man who has defeated Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Daniel Dubois in recent years. Given the vicious thrashing he gave then-IBF champ Dubois in July, unleashing Usyk on someone who has only spent 10 months out of his teens seems foolish.

A more concrete title opportunity did emerge when Itauma was ordered to face WBA ‘regular’ belt-dragger Kubrat Pulev. The WBA’s secondary heavyweight belt is a controversial and ultimately needless piece of hardware. But Dubois did use it as a learning apparatus before annexing the widely-recognised IBF championship. 

Itauma was announced to be fighting at Manchester Arena on December 13, as chief support to Derek Chisora’s final professional fight. The assumption was that this would be against Pulev for the WBA trinket.

But now 44-year-old Pulev is set to fight Murat Gassiev in Dubai for the dubious gold. Gassiev was the WBA and IBF cruiserweight champion before losing the belts to Usyk in 2018. None of his wins since are worthy of a shot at the heavyweight title. But the WBA ‘regular’ bauble isn’t the heavyweight title. The gruesome twosome will contest the WBA costume jewelry on December 12, with the sanctioning body caving and allowing the fight to take place, despite Itauma's mandatory status.

When Pulev signed to fight Gassiev, other options were sought, but nobody seemed willing to stand in the eye of the Itauma storm. American heavyweight contender Michael Hunter now has a fight at York Hall that month. David Adeleye was rumoured to step in, but he now boxes in Nigeria on six days after the Manchester event. 

With the WBA never ceasing to be a mess, Itauma dropped off the Manchester Arena show on December 13. The big Queensberry event retains its main event, the final professional fight of Derek Chisora. 

But on Monday, November 10, Itauma's next foil/foe/victim was lined up officially. Queensberry announced a Manchester Arena card for January 24 next year. The latest iteration of Warren's 'Magnificent 7' events will see Itauma headline against durable American heavy Jermaine Franklin. '989 Assassin' is 24-2 and well known to British fans for his only two losses. He gave Whyte hell before losing on points in 2022 before pushing Anthony Joshua the full distance the following year.

Itauma is not a fighter accustomed to long nights in the ring. Will Franklin, 3-0 since those twin setbacks, bring that trademark durability? Or will Itauma prove his power wanes for no man? That, my friends, is why we have the fights.

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