Oleksandr Usyk is taking his time to deliberate on his future following suggestions for him to defend his world titles against Moses Itauma.
Having secured the undisputed heavyweight world championship for the second time by defeating Daniel Dubois in a fifth-round knockout at Wembley last month, Usyk was instructed to defend his titles against WBO mandatory challenger Joseph Parker. However, he has requested to postpone his decision due to an injury.
After Itauma’s first-round victory over Dillian Whyte last weekend, Saudi Arabian boxing chief Turki Alalshikh advocated for a showdown between Usyk and the 20-year-old British boxer. Nevertheless, Sergey Lapin, a prominent member of Usyk’s team, has urged for patience.
Lapin emphasized that Usyk and their team have always shown respect for potential opponents and the regulations of professional boxing. He highlighted Usyk’s remarkable achievement of becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion twice in the past year and a half, acknowledging the significant physical and mental exertion required for such success.
The team stressed that Usyk deserves time to recuperate from the intense training and concealed injuries, as well as to spend quality time with his family. Lapin emphasized that Usyk has earned the right to determine his future and should be allowed the necessary time to make his decision without pressure.
Itauma, on the other hand, refrained from directly challenging Usyk, expressing his readiness to face deserving opponents like Agit Kabayel or Joseph Parker in the future after taking a break and returning to training.
Despite Usyk’s previous victories over him, Tyson Fury believes that Itauma is prepared to confront Usyk and would defeat him convincingly. Fury shared his opinion in a social media video, asserting that boxing is a domain for the younger generation and predicting Itauma’s potential to outshine older fighters like Usyk, AJ, and others.
Overall, Usyk is deliberating on his next moves cautiously, balancing his recovery needs with the expectations from the boxing world.