Oleksandr Usyk admits he is unlikely to share the ring with precocious British heavyweight Moses Itauma next.
The Chatham southpaw has torn through the heavyweight division at an alarming rate, and at just 20 years old, he is already being touted as a world champion in waiting.
Saudi powerbroker Turki Alalshikh ranks Usyk vs Itauma highly on his boxing wishlist.
But Usyk, 38, doesn’t envisage the youngster in his immediate future.
“With Itauma? I won’t fight him,” he told UNN when asked about whether he will face Itauma in his next outing.
“He’s young. He’s still pushing me. And he said he doesn’t hit old men.”
Both Itauma and his trainer, Ben Davison, have repeatedly stated that they would accept a fight with Usyk in a heartbeat.
However, Itauma’s handlers aim to move their man at a more conservative rate.
The consensus feeling amongst his team is that Itauma needs to bank more rounds before diving in at the deep end.
Bouts with durable opponents such as Filip Hrgovic, Jermaine Franklin and Kubrat Pulev have been explored for December 13 in Manchester, although it has proven tricky to tie down his next dance partner.
Itauma’s promoter, Frank Warren, recently revealed to talkSPORT that the majority of the boxers they have approached either priced themselves out of negotiations or flat-out rejected the fight.
Who could Oleksandr Usyk fight next?
Usyk, on the other hand, has no shortage of opponents queuing up to face him.
The Ukrainian was recently ordered by the WBO to face the winner of Joseph Parker and Fabio Wardley’s upcoming clash on October 25 for the major sanctioning body’s interim title.
Meanwhile, Tyson Fury is campaigning for a trilogy with his bitter rival.
Whilst Usyk stopped short of revealing who he expects to face next, the former pound-for-pound king declared that ‘negotiations are underway’.
“I can’t say who I’ll be in the ring with because negotiations are underway,” he added.
“I’d be fooling you if I gave you a name…
“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.”
