Moses Itauma appears to have suffered a further blow in his bid to find an opponent for his next fight.
Itauma has become one of the biggest prospects in the sport, having put together an undefeated record of 13-0, with 11 of those victories coming by knockout.
The 20-year-old claimed the biggest win of his career so far when he knocked out Dillian Whyte inside two minutes back in August, and he was pencilled in to return to action in Manchester in December.
A number of opponents have reportedly turned down the fight, but it seemed there may have been hope for a clash against WBA Regular heavyweight champion Kubrat Pulev after the pair were ordered to fight.
Any hope of seeing that clash next has been scuppered however, after it was announced that Pulev is already set to defend his belt against Murat Gassiev on December 12 in Dubai.
Pulev – who has been defeated on just three occasions in 35 fights to Wladimir Klitschko, Anthony Joshua and Derek Chisora – won the belt in December 2024 by beating Mahmoud Charr, and he explained why he is opting for the battle against Gassiev.
“It’s been a long and challenging wait, but I’m thrilled to finally defend my world title. I respect Murat Gassiev – he is a powerful and dangerous opponent – but I am ready, focused, and eager to give fans a great fight. I’m grateful to the IBA and Epic Sports for making this happen and can’t wait to step back into the ring.”
Pulev is set to make his defence against former unified cruiserweight champion Gassiev on December 12 at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium as the main event of an IBA and Epic Sports & Entertainment show.
It means the search seemingly continues for Itauma’s next opponent, and with less than two months to go until his planned December date, a decision will need to be made soon.
