“Usyk is at the top of his game, and I guess he’s abusing his power,” Itauma said on Inside the Ring Show. “So, he’s earned the right to do whatever he wants.”
He meant it. Itauma questioned whether the reason given for declining the fight reflects what is actually driving the decision.
“He’s not exactly going to come on camera and say, ‘Nah, I don’t want to potentially put my career at risk because of a 21-year-old,’” he said.
Usyk has indicated he intends to be selective with his remaining fights before retirement. Earlier this month, he dismissed the idea of facing Itauma, suggesting the matchup would do more harm than good for a young contender still building his career.
Itauma is seeing right through it. Instead of a straight answer, he sees a calculated message, the kind of tactical phrasing fighters use to justify their choices without revealing the full story.
There is another side to this, and it comes down to what Moses has actually done to earn a shot at the top.
Itauma is still early in his pro career, and he hasn’t beaten the kind of opponents that usually put a fighter in line for a title shot. His most notable win came against Dillian Whyte, a 37-year-old former contender who has been used at different stages by top heavyweights and is no longer operating at the level needed to justify a direct path to a title fight.
Beyond that, the opposition has not matched what is normally expected for someone calling out a unified champion. There are still established contenders ahead of him, which makes the callout hard to take seriously at this stage.
Itauma is talking like he belongs in that position already, while his record shows a fighter who is still being moved forward.
Usyk is in a position where he can choose his opponents, and there is no pressure on him to take on a prospect who is still building.
Itauma’s confidence stands out, but so does the jump he’s trying to make. Usyk has spent years beating top names in the division. Itauma is still adding those names to his record.
The callout is there, but the work that usually backs it up hasn’t happened yet, and until that changes, the fight he wants is not one Usyk has any reason to take.
Read the full article here