Moses Itauma will bide his time for Oleksandr Usyk fight

Moses Itauma insisted Oleksandr Usyk has “earned nan correct to do immoderate he wants” contempt nan Briton amplifying calls for a conflict betwixt nan brace pinch a stunning stoppage of Jermaine Franklin.

Unified world heavyweight champion Usyk, arsenic good arsenic Tyson Fury, person successful nan past fewer months dismissed nan imaginable of taking connected 21-year-old Itauma, citing his property and inexperience arsenic a superior reason.

Itauma, though, stopped Franklin for nan first clip successful his 27-fight career, thing Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte could not do, to move to 14-0 and underline his position arsenic an emerging contender.

Asked whether taking retired Franklin midway done nan 5th information successful a ascendant capacity successful Manchester mightiness beryllium nan catalyst to lure Usyk into a showdown sometime successful nan future, Itauma offered a pragmatic response.

“Listen, Usyk has earned nan correct to do immoderate he wants,” Itauma said. “There’s a pecking bid that evidently I’ve sewage to respect.

“I don’t salary attraction to immoderate of that, I don’t really attraction what immoderate of these different heavyweights deliberation aliases feel. I cognize what nan truth is and I cognize nan expertise that I’m tin of. Now I’ve sewage to spell retired location and show it.

“I’ve conscionable turned 21, I’ve sewage Dillian Whyte, Demsey McKean, now Jermaine Franklin — knockouts, by nan measurement — nether my belt. I ever knew I could do this but I didn’t deliberation it would beryllium truthful soon.

“I’ve done what immoderate different British heavyweights couldn’t do and they’ve gone connected to execute successful things. So what’s nan limit for me?”

Usyk will not beryllium adjacent arsenic he takes connected erstwhile world kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven astatine nan Pyramids of Giza successful Egypt and Itauma’s promoter Frank Warren wants to get nan youngster backmost successful nan ringing successful July.

However, he is classed nan number 1 challenger successful nan WBO and WBA rankings and Warren hopes to put a world title conflict later successful nan year, pinch WBO president Gustavo Olivieri saying connected X connected Saturday nighttime he will “formally recommend” Itauma to beryllium installed arsenic mandatory challenger.

Itauma revealed afterwards apical of his contiguous wishlist is simply a bout pinch erstwhile IBF interim title challenger Filip Hrgovic, though nan Croatian takes connected Dave Allen successful Doncaster connected May 16.

“I conscionable for illustration nan Hrgovic fight,” Itauma added. “It’s thing individual to these fighters.

“I’ve ever conscionable tried to strive for greatness and Hrgovic is simply a awesome conflict for me. But he’s boxing Dave Allen truthful we’ve conscionable sewage to spell backmost to nan drafting committee and spot who’s available.

“I don’t deliberation (the conflict against Franklin) could person gone overmuch better. I went nan rounds that were necessary, I sewage nan occupation done and for each you batch who wanted to inquire maine if I had a chin, I took a changeable arsenic well. I yet answered immoderate questions and now it’s astir what’s next.”