Three Possible Next Opponents for Moses Itauma

On July 19, at the ANB Arena in Riyadh, Moses Itauma (13-0, 11 KOs) stopped Dillian Whyte (31-4, 21 KOs) in the first round of their heavyweight bout. Regardless of how you view where Whyte is in his career, this was a brutally efficient performance from the 20-year-old, and it left everyone wondering what could be next for the Slovakian-born Brit. Here are three potential next opponents for Itauma.

Moses Itauma Stops Dillian Whyte in Riyadh

3 Possible Next Opponents for Moses Itauma

Itauma quickly settled and began to mix his shots, and it wasn’t long before a left hook to the temple left Whyte on unsteady legs. A vicious barrage of well-placed shots nearly floored Whyte, who somehow stayed upright. A right hook soon sent “The Body Snatcher” crashing to the canvas. Whyte bravely made it to his feet as the referee counted, but he stumbled into the corner, prompting the referee to wave the fight off, awarding Itauma the victory.

Moses Itauma vs Jermaine Franklin

Jermaine Franklin (23-2, 15 KOs) appears to be the most sensible option and the most realistic. He has taken Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte the full 12 rounds. After the Whyte win, Itauma spoke about his team’s desire for him to get more rounds:

 “I’d love that as well,” Itauma told The Ring. “And even if not Usyk, then the guys that deserve to fight Usyk, so Parker, [Kabayel], whatnot. But I know that my team is stressing me getting rounds, so that’s why they said Jermaine Franklin would be a good name.”

 Franklin has proven he possesses a granite chin, but aside from his toughness, he does put his shots together well and carries power himself. He is capable of withstanding heavy pressure while remaining dangerous with his own power until late in fights. His resilience and power could see him take Itauma into deeper waters than he’s faced before.

Filip Hrgovic

Another possible opponent could be Filip Hrgovic (19-1, 14 KOs), who appeared on the undercard of Itauma vs Whyte. Hrgovic defeated David Adeleye by unanimous decision in what was an entertaining heavyweight fight, including a brilliant back-and-forth eighth round that saw Hrgovic score a knockdown, but Adeleye responded and had the Croatian struggling to stay on his feet.

Hrgovic is a very accurate puncher who possesses a solid chin, and given his experience, you would back him to pose challenges to Itauma. The Croatian is not afraid to go toe-to-toe with his opponents, and carries enough power to make Itauma worry about what’s coming back. Against Adeleye, Hrgovic stayed solid throughout the fight and controlled the distance well. He will need to have plenty of mental fortitude to survive the inevitable Moses Itauma onslaughts.

Joseph Parker

Joseph Parker (36-3, 24 KOs) is the WBO mandatory and next in line for a shot at Oleksandr Usyk. It remains to be seen what Usyk will decide next, but Parker is the mandatory, and should Usyk vacate or retire, Parker would likely face the WBO no. 1 contender Moses Itauma.

Parker has been on an exceptional run of form since losing to Joe Joyce in 2022. During this run, he has scored impressive wins over Deontay Wilder, Zhilei Zhang, and Martin Bakole. Parker’s career has gone on to a new level under the guidance of Andy Lee.

The New Zealand-born fighter has good hand speed and footwork, which enable him to control the distance effectively during his fights. The 33-year-old has impressive powers of recovery, as proven in the fight against Zhang, when he survived two knockdowns to obtain a deserved majority-decision victory. A showdown with Itauma for a vacate title would see experience vs youth for the highest prize in boxing.