Tony Bellew has revealed the only man that he thinks could be a threat to Oleksandr Usyk.
Usyk defeated Bellew at cruiserweight back in 2018, and then moved up to the heavyweight division where he has defeated all comers, including Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois all on two occasions each.
With the Ukrainian approaching the end of his career, Bellew has told Ready To Fight that he believes rising sensation Moses Itauma is the one fighter capable of causing problems.
“I wouldn’t want to see time beat Usyk. Before his first fight with Joshua, I thought only size could stop him.
But when I saw him, I realised — even size can’t beat him. I predicted he’d beat Fury twice — and that’s exactly what happened. He’s on another level.
The only opponent who could give him problems is Moses Itauma, but he’s not ready yet. You can’t throw him in against Usyk if he hasn’t even gone six rounds. That would be unfair.
His promoter, Frank Warren, always knows how to time things right — guiding his fighters carefully from the bottom to the top.
Usyk also knows how to pick the right fights at the right time. I agree — you can’t put a newcomer in with Usyk yet.”
Itauma is unbeaten in his career, most recently claiming a fifth round knockout win over Jermaine Franklin in March.
The youngster is set to return to action in July, where a victory could move him one step closer to a shot at world honours.