Oleksandr Usyk is currently the best heavyweight on the planet, but thinks he knows who might succeed him at the very top.
Usyk is a former undisputed cruiserweight turned undisputed heavyweight champion who won all four belts in the top division when he beat Tyson Fury in May 2024. After vacating the IBF to honour a rematch, he again beat ‘The Gypsy King’ and is now going back after the IBF belt.
He must beat Daniel Dubois in July to reclaim it and become a two-time undisputed heavyweight champion, cementing his place as an all-time great in the eyes of many. After that, he may have only one fight left, and so has been talking about who might become the new divisional ruler.
Speaking to talkSPORT Boxing, the Usyk backed young Slovenian-British rising star Moses Itauma to get to the very top and become undisputed.
“Who’s next heavyweight champion? Moses Itauma, I think is a great fighter. Young. 20 years old. I think Itauma has a big future.”
Itauma was hoping to break Mike Tyson’s long-standing record as the youngest ever heavyweight champion. He won his first world title aged just 19, and although that has now passed, Itauma is still on track to achieve things at a much younger age than most of his peers.
A decorated amateur champion with gold in Schools, Juniors, Youth Europeans and the Youth World Championship, he turned pro in January 2023 and has won all 12 of his fights since then. 10 of them have come by KO and include a first-round stoppage of Demsey McKean and a second-round stoppage of Mike Balogun in May 2025, which has cemented his place as the WBO’s top‑ranked contender.
He is set to take a big step up in August when he takes on former world title challenger Dillian Whyte. Though Itauma has expressed an interest in facing Usyk to share the ring with a great, it is very unlikely the two cross paths.
