Moses Itauma positioned as leading heavyweight contender after victories and upcoming fights

Former heavyweight champion Dillian Whyte said Oleksandr Usyk could face Moses Itauma after Usyk’s narrow win over kickboxer Rico Verhoeven, noting that the Ukrainian’s performance was shaky and that his daughter was messaging him from a bomb shelter in Ukraine. Whyte suggested Itauma, the 21‑year‑old British heavyweight who has added a fifth‑round stoppage of Jermaine Franklin to his record, would be a strong opponent for Usyk.

Whyte also assessed a potential clash between Itauma and Croatian contender Filip Hrgović, describing Hrgović as dangerous but a good test for the young Brit. He said a fight could be arranged in Manchester later this year, which would move Hrgović into the world top‑10 and put Itauma on track for a title shot.