Moses Itauma declines to target Anthony Joshua or Tyson Fury

Moses Itauma has stated that he has no intention of targeting Anthony Joshua or Tyson Fury in his current career stage. The 21-year-old heavyweight believes that seeking fights against the two veterans at this time would be disrespectful.

Itauma noted that while Joshua and Fury remain capable boxers, they are not the same fighters they were during their peaks. He suggested that facing them in their current state would not be the ideal challenge for him. Instead, his immediate focus remains on his upcoming bout against Filip Hrgovic.

Joshua, a two-time heavyweight world champion, first won world titles in 2016. His career included wins over Wladimir Klitschko, Joseph Parker, and Alexander Povetkin before losing to Andy Ruiz Jr in 2019. After regaining his belts, Joshua suffered losses to Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois, and most recently experienced two knockdowns against Kristian Prenga.

Itauma is scheduled to face Hrgovic on Saturday, August 29, at the O2 Arena in London. The match is for the vacant IBF heavyweight world title following a step-aside agreement by Frank Sanchez. If Itauma wins the contest, he could become the second-youngest heavyweight champion in history.

Many observers have compared Itauma's early professional trajectory to that of Joshua. As the heavyweight division shifts, attention has turned toward Itauma as a potential successor to the established names in the weight class.