Oleksandr Usyk gave his reaction to Moses Itauma’s knockout victory against Dillian Whyte.
The young star’s stunning first-round knockout win caught the attention of boxing fans and professionals alike when he turned the screw to finish Whyte on August 16th.
Itauma extended his professional record to 13 wins with 11 knockouts, maintaining his coveted number one spot with the WBO.
Following his victory, people across the sport have been wondering who he will fight next, with Turki Alalshikh wanting the 20-year-old future of the heavyweight division to face undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk.
Oleksandr Usyk reacts to Moses Itauma’s first-round knockout win as he gives his opinion on a potential clash
The heavyweight king Usyk beat Daniel Dubois in their rematch and became a two-time undisputed heavyweight champion at Wembley Stadium with a five-round demolition.
After his Wembley win, the Ukrainian has not given much indication of his next career move since he said he would have one more fight before finishing his career.
He does have a mandatory challenger in the form of Joseph Parker, but negotiations have not started as the 38-year-old is recovering from a back injury.
His team was in the UK for a launch press conference with teammate Daniel Lapin and during an interview with BoxNation, coach Sergey Lapin video-called the star, who gave his reaction to the Whyte knockout.
He said: “The great man, the great fight.
“I think Itauma (is) the future for boxing. I like this guy.”
High praise from ‘The Cat’ towards the fighter who sparred with Tyson Fury ahead of their two-fight series.
He was also asked what he thought about sizing up to the prodigy next year, and he delivered a two-word response.
“Yeah, definitely,” Usyk said.
Oleksandr Usyk’s team speaks out on the possibility of a Moses Itauma fight
While the former undisputed cruiserweight champion may be up for taking on the Moses who poses many ‘unknowns’, his team was more tight-lipped on the clash.
In an interview with Pro Boxing Fans, Lapin was quizzed on the possibility of taking the fight with ‘The Wrecking Ball’ next.
He said: “It’s possible, we see. Now, (it) is relax time. Don’t push the horses.”
The phrase is an infamous Usyk line about the only time he was knocked out after pushing a horse as a child.
However, he did acknowledge they have to figure out the situation with the WBO before deciding on a different opponent to the mandated Parker.
“Now we have a sanction about the WBO, this is first, this is question number one, Joseph Parker, we talk with team, we spoke with Alex (Oleksandr), we see what we can do” Lapin explained.
“Other people talk, we work.”
His team is not fazed by talk of different potential fights and is only focused on the pound-for-pound number one recovering from his injuries before decisions on his career are made.