Moses Itauma has the date and venue for his next fight – July 25 at the O2 Arena in London – but is waiting for his opponent to be confirmed.
Justis Huni, the Australian heavyweight contender, is willing to offer his services. Huni, coming off a solid points victory over Frazer Clarke, does expect to fight Itauma sooner or later.
“100 per cent,” Huni told Sky Sports. “I feel like we’re going to meet somewhere along the line at some point.”
Itauma showcased his abilities in his most recent victory when he ruthlessly dispatched Jermaine Franklin. Those qualities include blistering hand speed for a heavyweight.
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Following his split-decision victory over Derek Chisora, Deontay Wilder speaks on who he could potentially fight next – and would be open to a bout with British star Moses Itauma.
But Huni wondered if he could rival Itauma for fastest fighter in the division. “Time will tell,” he suggested.
“We’ll meet somewhere down the line.”
The Australian has rebuilt from his late stoppage loss to Fabio Wardley, who knocked out Huni at Portman Road before going on to become the WBO heavyweight world champion.
“It was a good challenge for myself. I took it on at short notice and all I could do was go out there and give it my best shot. Even though I got stopped late in the fight, it was still a win-win for myself,” Huni reflected.
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Andy Scott and Gary Logan debate who Moses Itauma should face next following his devastating knockout win over Jermaine Franklin.
“That was me not even being at my best, not having a full training camp. The sky’s the limit.
“I feel like my stock went up,” he added. “You look what Fabio’s gone on to do, he’s a world champion. I watched the fight back, worked on the things that I needed to work on.
“I didn’t even need to commit to anything that late in the fight. I felt like I was ahead comfortably. He got that good shot in on me and that’s all it took. You just can’t switch off in heavyweight boxing, or in any division. You just can’t switch off because all it takes is one punch.”
Riakporhe an option?
A British title fight, with hard-punching Richard Riakporhe, could be a tremendous O2 headliner.
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Highlights of Jeamie TKV v Richard Riakporhe. Video courtesy of Netflix and The Ring. Tyson Fury v Arslanbek Makhmudov is now available to watch globally only on Netflix.
When asked about the prospect of taking on Itauma eventually, Riakporhe told Sky Sports: “Anything is possible, we just have to wait and see what opportunities become available.
“Who knows? Maybe in the future our paths could meet.”
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Having lost his previous world title fight against Chris Billam-Smith, Richard Riakporhe is determined to become world heavyweight champion following his devastating knockout win over Jeamie TKV.
He explained: “Moses Itauma, he’s in a good position right now. He’s ranked really high so I don’t know if they’re trying to push him for a world title shot.
“I feel like everybody’s on different type of trajectories, routes. He’s in a very good position right now. He’s got a lot of hype behind him.
“People have high hopes for him and I think they’re strategically guiding him to get to the top and that’s great for him.”
