#1 WBO-ranked Moses Itauma could find himself forced to fight the big-punching interim champ Joseph Parker next for the vacant WBO heavyweight title if the current champion Oleksandr Usyk chooses not to defend against the mandatory Parker.
Why a Parker vs. Itauma Fight?
Parker’s promoter, David Higgins, revealed today that there has been no contact from Usyk’s team about whether they’re going to begin negotiating for a fight with Joseph. If not, they’ll be stripped of the WBO title or vacate it. That’ll leave Parker (36-3, 24 KOs) in position to snatch up the belt. He’ll either be elevated to the new champion or face #1 contender Itauma (12-0, 10 KOs) for the belt.
Queensberry will have to decide whether to put the 20-year-old Itauma to the best by letting him battle Parker, 33, for the WBO belt. Unlike the 37-year-old Dillian Whyte, who Moses fights this Saturday, August 16th, on DAZN PPV, Parker isn’t over-the-hill, chinny, and fights in a more defensive manner.
The Risk of Rebuilding Itauma’s Career
Itauma’s lack of professional and amateur experience against quality opposition could expose him as a fake, which many intelligent fans suspect. If he gets thrashed by Parker, Queensberry will be stuck with the arduous task of rebuilding Itauma. That won’t be easy.
When a fighter is shown to be just a counterfeit job to make money the easy way, fans who initially were slow to grasp that he was a pseudo job wouldn’t be as gullible the next time to jump on board the Moses Itauma ship.
Higgins on Usyk’s Silence
“There is no noise, no engagement, no negotiation from Usyk’s team. All thinking and wisdom is that Usyk doesn’t want to defend his WBO world title. That is the feeling,” said Parker’s promoter David Higgins to Sky Sports.
Predictably, Usyk will vacate his WBO title because the money he would make fighting Parker would be far less than what he received for his fights against Tyson Fury and Daniel Dubois.
“I think Joseph will fight Moses Itauma, it’s just a matter of when. Moses is young and doesn’t have the resume that Joseph has,” said Higgins.
A Massive Step-Up in Competition
What Higgins means when he mentions “resume” is that Itauma lacks experience at the professional level. You can’t call the 12 scrubs that Itauma has been matched against since he turned pro as experience. They were awful, and he never fought world-level amateurs before turning pro in 2023. Itauma quickly turned pro before facing the sharks from Cuba, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and the U.S.
“[Usyk] might not fight me, but then if the WBO becomes vacant, I’ll have to fight someone else for it,” said Parker.
Last Updated on 08/14/2025
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