Oleksandr Usyk snubs British heavyweight as opponent for next fight
Usyk looks set to return to the ring next year and has several contenders eyeing up a fight with him, but the Ukrainian has already ruled out one individual
Oleksandr Usyk has shut down a potential fight with British rising star Moses Itauma.
The Ukrainian became a two-time undisputed heavyweight champion in his last outing back in July, after knocking out Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in front of over 90,000. Usyk - who turns 39 in January - revealed in February that he has two more fights in him before calling it a day.
However, in a stunning twist of events, the boxing superstar has vowed to commit to carry on fighting until the age of 41. "I will box until I am 41. And then I will build a Sports Academy and train there, and I will train there," he told UNN. He added: "I train every day. Yesterday morning I arrived and immediately went to the training hall. I train with the goal of entering the ring next year and, with God's help, winning."
As Usyk plans to return to the ring next year, one of the leading contenders is Joseph Parker - who must first get through Fabio Wardley later this month. Tyson Fury's name has also been mentioned after the 'Gypsy King' revealed he will make a stunning comeback next year.
Itauma is another star in consideration, but Usyk has rubbished those reports. The 38-year-old does not know who he will be fighting next, but it won't be Itauma. "With Itauma? I won't fight him," he said. "He's young. He's still pushing me. And he said he doesn't hit old men. I can't say who I'll be in the ring with because negotiations are underway. I'd be fooling you if I gave you a name."
The undefeated British fighter has blitzed every opponent he has faced so far. Following his devastating knockout victory over Dillian Whyte back in August, many within the boxing community believe that the 20-year-old is ready to take on Usyk. The Ukrainian has even backed Itauma to conquer the heavyweight division for years to come.
READ MORE: Chris Eubank Jr provides worrying update just weeks before Conor Benn rematchREAD MORE: Who is Chase DeMoor? Andrew Tate's boxing opponent for Misfits debutLast month, the British prospect rejected an IBF final eliminator fight against Frank Sanchez that would have led to a showdown with Usyk. Itauma was next in line to take the dust-up for a shot at the Ukrainian after Efe Ajagba turned down the fight against Sanchez. Instead, the rising heavyweight contender has decided to take a different path to a world title fight.
"Is it my fault that I've spent only an hour in the ring? One of the things me and my team have stressed is getting rounds," Itauma recently told Boxing King Media. "But, the reason why we would fight Usyk is there's a win-win situation. If I go in there and win, I'm the heavyweight champion of the world. If God forbid I lose, I've just lost to Usyk - the champion of the world - and I'm 20 years old. So, it's a win-win situation."
When is the next boxing fight?
Kieron Conway will take on George Liddard on Friday, October 17 at York Hall, Bethnal Green. The main undercard is set to get underway at around 7pm UK time (11am ET / 8am PT / 10am CT). In the main event, Liddard will make the walk to the ring first at around 10pm UK time (5pm ET / 2pm PT / 4pm CT) with Conway set to follow immediately after.
The timings of all fights are subject to change and will depend on how long the undercard takes to complete. All of the action is set to be shown live on DAZN. The popular streaming platform can be found as an additional subscription on TVs. It can also be streamed live on the official website or the downloadable app. A DAZN subscription is £119.99 or £14.99 per month, or £24.99 on a flexible commitment that can be cancelled at any point.
