Rising heavyweight prospect Moses Itauma will step back into the ring on July 19 at Wembley Stadium, but fans hoping for a title shot will have to wait. Frank Warren, his promoter at Queensberry Promotions, confirmed the 20-year-old is not yet being fast-tracked into championship contention, despite his high world rankings.
Fresh off a second-round knockout of Mike Balogun on May 24 in Glasgow, Itauma now holds the WBO's #1 spot, with additional top-ten rankings by the WBA (#3) and IBF (#7). Yet Warren emphasized the importance of building his young charge carefully.
“We could have rolled the dice and gotten Moses a world title shot, but his career is a marathon, not a sprint,” Warren told The Ring. “I want him to learn his trade.”
Warren’s comments reflect concern over Itauma’s current level of experience and stamina, with critics noting that the matchmaking so far has not provided meaningful developmental challenges. Rumored opponents for July include Jermaine Franklin and Otto Wallin, but both names have drawn skepticism due to recent performances - Wallin, in particular, is coming off a disappointing loss to Derek Chisora.
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