Moses Itauma was the star of the night in Saudi Arabia as he was able to live up to the Mike Tyson comparisons against Dillian Whyte.
Itauma knocked out Whyte in just under two minutes in the heavyweight headliner as he improved his impressive record to 13-0.
Whyte, who may have been injured in the bout, will now have to make a decision regarding his future in the sport of boxing. As for Itauma, he continues his upward trajectory in the division.
Aiming to become a world champion, the 20-year-old can now be considered an elite force in the heavyweight division. However, one contender is not keen on Itauma skipping the line for the crown.
Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty ImagesJoseph Parker believes Moses Itauma must wait for title opportunity
Joseph Parker has been aiming for Oleksandr Usyk since he defeated Martin Bakole in February. This also includes the WBO ordering a fight between the pair.
However, following his impressive performance, Itauma may be in line for a fight with the Ukrainian. More legitimacy is added to this possibility as Turki Alalshikh wants to see Usyk vs Itauma.
In pursuit of becoming a two-time world heavyweight champion, Parker believes that Itauma should wait for his title opportunity.
Speaking to Pro Boxing Fans, Parker said, “I think there’s a queue,” when asked about Itauma potentially fighting for the title.
“He’s probably next in line, after us, you know?”
Despite now seeing the youngster as a fellow title contender, Parker gave praise to Itauma’s performance. “He looked good tonight. Very explosive. Put on a great display, trained hard for it. He deserves everything he gets, hard work pays off.”
Joseph Parker speaks on Oleksandr Usyk’s request for negotiation period extension
It was reported that Usyk has submitted a request to have his negotiation period for a fight with Parker extended due to an injury.
When asked if he had any additional information regarding the request from the Ukrainian, Parker said, “Whatever you see on the news or in the media, that’s what I know.”
Parker is currently the interim WBO World Heavyweight champion, while Usyk holds all world titles in the weight class.
The New Zealander added that he would fight ‘anyone’ for a vacant world title.