Oleksandr Usyk, after his victory over Daniel Dubois in July, has ruled out a fight with the young British heavyweight Moses Itauma, but confirmed that he is training and plans to return to the ring next year.
Usyk, with a record of 24-0 and 15 KOs, conquered the undisputed heavyweight title by knocking out Daniel Dubois in July. In that fight, he regained the IBF belt that he had vacated last year, achieving a resounding victory at Wembley Stadium.
The WBO had ordered Usyk to face interim champion Joseph Parker, but negotiations did not prosper, as Usyk declared he was injured and needed time out of the ring.
Parker is scheduled to fight Fabio Wardley in London on October 25th.The Ukrainian boxer has revealed that he is already training, but that he will not face Itauma (13-0, 11 KOs) in his next fight.
No, I will not fight Itauma. He is young… he is always bothering me. And he himself said that he does not hit grandfathers.
Oleksandr Usyk
Usyk, 38 years old, plans to return to the ring in 2026, although it has not yet been decided who his opponent will be.
Itauma is considered one of the most promising prospects in world boxing, with 11 knockouts in 13 fights. In his last fight, he achieved a remarkable victory by knocking out Dillian Whyte in the first round in August.
Usyk stated that he plans to continue fighting until he is 41 years old. Afterwards, he plans to build a sports academy where he will train and develop other athletes.
