The heavyweight division has been put on notice by Moses Itauma, and fans are excited about his future.
The 20-year-old sensation has been built up as the future of the heavyweight scene and has now cemented himself as a contender in the weight class.
Former professionals made noise about the ‘unknowns’ of the Dillian Whyte clash prior to the Saudi Arabian clash, but Itauma has answered those questions in style.
As with every performance from a talented prospect, the questions fall to what is next, and the young star has hinted towards a showdown with a modern great.
Moses Itauma’s destructive knockout of Dillian Whyte puts the heavyweight division on notice
‘The Wrecking Ball’ only needed one round to defeat Whyte after his first barrage of attacks, which saw the Brixton fighter struggle to answer back.
A shot to the temple staggered the 37-year-old, and following the combination punching, which was punctuated by a right hook, Dillian was knocked down.
However, as soon as he rose to his feet, he began shaking and staggering, so the referee had to call off the contest to declare Moses victorious.
After extending his win streak to 13 with 11 knockouts, the DAZN broadcast asked who he wanted next.
Itauma said: “What is next? I will fight anyone they put in front of me.
“(The crowd) are saying (Oleksandr) Usyk. The team mentioned they want me to get some rounds out. Any of them can happen.”
The undisputed champion, Oleksandr Usyk, may be unlikely to happen, but with boxing financier Turki Alalshikh calling for the contest, it would certainly be an incredibly tough test.
Although a more likely matchup is with Filip Hrgovic, following his win over David Adeleye, which featured an eighth-round contender of the year.
Fans react to Moses Itauma’s destructive first-round knockout of Dillian Whyte, ‘I’ve seen enough…’
After a stunning performance, fans are excited by the prospects of the Kent boxer.
It looks like some would even be happy to see the star head into a bout with the de facto best heavyweight in the world.
One user wrote on X: “I’ve seen enough feed Moses Itauma to the lion’s den.”
However, a fight fan who saw Usyk compete against Daniel Dubois in Wembley Stadium had a different view.
He wrote: “I was lucky enough to see the GOAT.
“Itauma isn’t in the same league as Usyk, but I do believe he will be better than (Tyson) Fury and AJ (Anthony Joshua).
“Great future for British boxing.”
The comparisons to Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua were not the only ones boxing fans were using to show how impressive the young man is.
“He’s been compared to Mike Tyson. Some accolade, what a sensational talent Moses Itauma is,” one user wrote.
Whyte, in the build-up, was given a chance by fighters of pulling off a big upset, but he was not able to find any rhythm before he was stopped.
A fan pointed out the Londoner did not seem himself heading into the bout, even after weighing in at his lowest since 2012.
The fan wrote: “I don’t know why Dillian Whyte even took this fight just to be fed as a sacrificial lamb for Moses Itauma.
“It’s time for him to walk away from the sport. It’s not working anymore. He lasted less in the ring than it took him to make that walk.”
This user was glad he had an early night when he found out how long the main event lasted.
“Just watched all 2 minutes of the Moses Itauma fight, glad I didn’t stay up for it,” he wrote.
“Ridiculous fighter him, his hands are so quick, and the power is frightening.”
Even with his top ranking in the WBO, two fans were unsure whether a Parker fight would even be the right step for his next contest.
One suggested: “That’s a massive step up, Joseph Parker should be next for the title shot, Itauma hasn’t been tested yet, we don’t know how good he can be? I’d put him in with Hrgovic next to test his mettle.”
Another fan also wrote: “Why does everyone keep naming Parker? He’s had what could be classed as about 4 final eliminators already.
“He deserves a title shot, as does Kabayel. Non-title fights against Itauma should not be part of the equation.”
Queensberry and Itauma’s team may have a struggle choosing the next test for this world champion in the making, but he may be in a title fight sooner rather than later.