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Boxing’s elite are backing Itauma in emphatic fashion, predicting

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Moses Itauma

Boxing’s elite are backing Itauma in emphatic fashion, predicting he will unleash a relentless onslaught and deliver a brutal beating to Whyte.

If Itauma were facing the version of Dillian Whyte who once spent over 600 days as Deontay Wilder’s WBC mandatory challenger, the verdict might be far more divided. After all, plenty of questions still remain about the young Chatham southpaw.

But as Whyte approaches the twilight of his career, it’s difficult to find a respected voice in boxing who is confidently picking him to overcome Itauma.

“I even phoned Dillian and said, ‘I don’t know why you’re taking this fight — this kid is on fire right now,’” Derek Chisora told talkSPORT.

“He’s getting better and better. He’s not regressing, he’s pushing forward… and he’s only 20. Honestly, someone should call the police for attempted murder for making this fight happen. That’s not the fight to make right now. Moses is blazing hot, and when Dillian gets battered badly, we’ll have to decide who goes to prison for allowing it. There’s no light at the end of this tunnel.

READ MORE : Itauma Sounds Alarm: “Whyte Playing the Innocent Sheep to

“I think [Itauma] will beat Dillian, and I think he’ll do it convincingly — no disrespect intended. Moses isn’t the light at the end of the tunnel; he is the train, and Dillian is about to run straight into it.”

Moses Itauma

Dave Allen, who lost on points to Whyte in 2016, offered a similarly bleak assessment for the former world title challenger:

“I think Dillian Whyte has had just three fights in the last three years, and at 37 years old, I expect Itauma to win inside the distance.

“At his peak, Dillian Whyte was a world-class heavyweight, but we haven’t seen that level from him in five or six years. They’re not stupid — they wouldn’t put Itauma in with Dillian if they thought he was anywhere near his best.”

RELATED NEWS : Frank Warren’s Jaw-Dropping Revelation: Could the Heavyweight

Former cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew echoed those sentiments:

Anthony joshua

“In my opinion, Dillian is at the end. He’s being paid a king’s ransom to go in there and be dealt with.”

Meanwhile, Martin Bakole pointed to Itauma’s style and Whyte’s recent inactivity:

“I think maybe Dillian Whyte will get knocked out. He’s been out for a long time. Like Oleksandr Usyk, Moses is a smaller heavyweight who doesn’t need to stand in front of a big guy — he’ll keep moving and pick his shots.

“But the problem is, everyone knows that after rounds four, five, or six, Dillian starts to tire and fight like someone who’s never been in the gym before. That’s when I think it’s over.”

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BOXING

Frank Warren’s Jaw-Dropping Revelation: Could the Heavyweight

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Anthony joshua

Frank Warren’s Jaw-Dropping Revelation: Could the Heavyweight Battle of the Century Between Joshua and Fury Rise From the Ashes Post-Jake Paul Fight?

Anthony Joshua is prioritising a fight against Jake Paul next but could still finally face Tyson Fury, believes promoter Frank Warren.

Joshua has not fought since his knockout defeat to Daniel Dubois in September but continues to be strongly linked to an unlikely bout against YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul.

Elsewhere Fury is yet to confirm his next move having ‘retired’ from boxing earlier this year in the wake of back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk.

The duo have tried and failed to make one of the biggest fights in British boxing history in recent years, begging the question as to whether fans will ever seen them in the ring together. Warren, though, insists the interest remains.

READ MORE : Anthony Joshua wants ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ as British star

“There have been a lot of talks for a long time and it hotted up again recently,” Warren told Sky Sports News. “It’s all about whether this fight happens with AJ – for example if he fights Jake Paul and comes through it – and if Tyson has a fight. Who knows if they’ll get it on.

Anthony Joshua

“It’s a fight that has not happened and should have happened. Is it too late? I think there’s tremendous interest in the fight.

“Every time we talk about Tyson and AJ that subject comes up – when are they going to get in the ring together?

Fury recently pointed towards a return to the ring as he outlined his desire to fight Usyk for a third time in pursuit of revenge following successive defeats to the undisputed heavyweight champion.

In addition to Paul, Joshua has also been linked to a fight against fellow former Olympic champion Tony Yoka.

“There is talk of both of those fights,” Warren explained.

RELATED NEWS : “We Can Make It Happen”: Gervonta Davis Called Out By ‘Savage’

“I think the fight taking priority in his (Joshua’s) mind – I don’t look after him, I look after Tony Yoka, he just signed with us and we’d like that fight – I think the preference for AJ is to fight Jake Paul because it’s a huge, huge money fight. It’s a crossover fight between – well, we say YouTube – he’s a professional boxer now.

“It’s a big step up for Jake Paul, and that seems to be the direction it’s going in. As to what he should do, he’s the guy getting in the ring and taking the punches, it’s got to be his choice.”

Gervonta Davis

Yoka, who won gold at Rio 2016, has endured a mixed professional career with a record of 14-3 having seen his world title aspirations derailed by consecutive defeats to Martin Bakole, Carlos Takam and Ryad Merhy across 2022 and 2023.

Paul is 12-1 as a professional following June’s unanimous decision win over Julio César Chávez Jr., his sole career loss coming to Tommy Fury in February 2023.

“People are complaining about Jake Paul and when is he going to fight somebody, you have to take your hat off to him that he’s willing to get in with a former two-time world champion who is not an old guy,” Warren continued.

“It will be a defining moment to see what he’s all about, I’ve got my opinion of what happens but people will buy into it.

“It is a fight that will grab everybody’s attention.”

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BOXING

Anthony Joshua wants ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ as British star

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Anthony Joshua

Anthony Joshua wants ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ as British star mulls over Jake Paul bout

Anthony Joshua is considering a fight in Africa as he mulls over his next move with his team jetting out to Ghana to assess options.

The British heavyweight’s reps flew out to Accra this week to take a look at venues and hold talks about staging a fight there. But it is only one of a number of options on the table for the Watford warrior. Joshua is also in talks with YouTube motormouth Jake Paul.

Jake Paul Anthony Joshua

 

JUST IN: ‘They think he’s easy!: Anthony Joshua’s fall from grace co

The London 2012 Olympic gold medallist is on the comeback trail after a shock knockout defeat by Daniel Dubois last September. Joshua, whose parents are Nigerian, has long had an ambition to fight in Africa and bring big-time boxing to the continent.

Matchroom Boxing CEO Frank Smith and Joshua’s manager Freddie Cunningham visited the 40,000- capacity Accra Sports Stadium on Tuesday.

Tony Yoka – who controversially beat Joe Joyce to win gold at Rio 2016 – has been mooted as a potential opponent if Joshua chooses to fight in Africa. Martin Bakole, from the Democratic Republic of Congo but based in Scotland, is another potential foe.

Frenchman Yoka recently signed with Queensberry Promotions and will have his debut with them in the coming weeks.

But he would be eager to be Joshua’s next opponent and will be ready to go late in 2025 or next year. While Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn’s new friendship means politics won’t be a problem.

Joshua is weighing up all his options. A fight with boxing novice but social media star Paul would be a lucrative option, even if it would offer little or no test.

While former world super-middleweight and light-heavyweight champion Andre Ward called him out for a fight earlier this week.

Ward has been retired since 2017 and has never boxed at heavyweight so it would unlikely at this stage despite Joshua responding positively on social media.

Joshua, 35, is planning for a fight early in 2026 as he recovers from an operation on his elbow. He went under the knife in May and had previously hoped to fight in December but 2026 might be more realistic.

Joshua still has hopes of facing Tyson Fury next year but he is waiting to see if the Gypsy King will step out of his retirement to return to the ring.

Fury has not fought since he was outpointed by Oleksandr Usyk for a second time last December and is also targeting a third fight with the Ukrainian.

Joshua also has two defeats against Usyk on his record but he is targeting a strong finish to his career before calling it a day next year.

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‘They think he’s easy!: Anthony Joshua’s fall from grace co

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Anthony Joshua

OPINION __ Anthony Joshua’s fall from grace complete: ‘They think he’s easy!

Anthony Joshua’s fall from grace in the heavyweight division has become a hot topic among boxing fans, with the former unified champion now openly targeted by YouTubers and retired fighters who never competed at heavyweight.

The two-time world titleholder, once viewed as the most dangerous man in the sport, has suffered four damaging defeats in recent years. The 35-year-old went down to Andy Ruiz Jr., lost twice via decision to Oleksandr Usyk, and most recently got battered by Daniel Dubois.

Anthony Joshua knocked out by Daniel Dubois

JUST IN: EXCLUSIVE: Deontay Wilder positions for a huge

The run has sparked claims that Joshua is now a soft target for opportunistic challengers.

Why the Public Perception Has Shifted
Middleweight contender Denzel Bentley sparked the conversation after asking on social media: “Why is everyone onto Anthony Joshua?”

Fans were quick to respond, with one writing: “AJ put himself in that predicament. Losing to Ruiz ruined his reputation.

“That’s not because Ruiz is a bad boxer, but because he’s Butterbean 2.0. I doubt he’ll ever recover from that embarrassment unless he beats Fury and Usyk.”

Others argued that promoter Eddie Hearn’s matchmaking has played a part, with one user insisting: “Because Eddie created this. Fight a Top 10, AJ, I double dare you.

“Joshua is still mashed up from that Dubois beating.”

Another made it far blunter.

“They think he’s easy. I hope AJ gives them what they want.”

Bentley defended the Watford man, pointing out his resume: “AJ has probably fought the most Top 10 opponents in the division.”

The Reality of the ‘Biggest Fight’
But the reality is apparent that public perception has shifted. It’s a subject World Boxing News has brokered for years, stating Joshua didn’t have the goods Hearn was selling.

The way Hearn would laud the 2012 Olympic gold medalist as the next coming of Muhammad Ali didn’t sit right with many. However, it was WBN that consistently put that into honest reports on Joshua, rather than smoke-blowing appraisal pieces.

What was once the most marketable fight in boxing, Joshua vs. Tyson Fury, which Hearn still calls the ‘biggest fight in boxing,’ is now seen by some as a chance for ‘The Gypsy King’ to pick up an easy win.

The fact is that Fury vs Joshua is the biggest fight in the UK, but worldwide, there’s little interest in seeing the two trade blows.

They have the opportunity if they strike soon, as the United Kingdom still has the appetite for it, as proven with Eubank Jr. vs Benn.

The Dangers of Opportunistic Callouts
But when callouts from YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul and Hall of Fame super-middleweight Andre Ward threaten to destroy what’s left of Joshua’s credibility, taking the fight off the shelf completely, as Fury has done, makes some sense.

Paul and Ward, who haven’t seen the heavyweight division in their careers, look at it as a meal ticket and don’t see the dangers that arose against Francis Ngannou.

Whether Joshua can turn the narrative around may depend on how quickly he returns to elite competition and if he can finally topple Fury before retirement calls.

Hearn believes his former star pupil could retire in 2026, but if he chooses to face Paul or Ward, he may as well retire right now.

The views expressed in this article are the opinions of Phil Jay.

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BOXING

EXCLUSIVE: Deontay Wilder positions for a huge

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Deontay Wilder

EXCLUSIVE: Deontay Wilder positions for a huge fight in 2026 

Deontay Wilder’s manager, Shelly Finkel, updated WBN on what the former WBC heavyweight champion plans to do following the restart of his career.

Wilder defeated Tyrrell Herndon in June at the Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kansas, stopping the rot of two straight defeats.

With losses against Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang firmly in the rear-view mirror, ‘The Bronze Bomber’ is sticking to an agreed blueprint that opens the door for a massive encounter in the coming year.

Deontay Wilder Usyk Joshua

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Wilder’s Comeback Plan
Finkel confirmed that the 39-year-old is targeting a blockbuster showdown with either Anthony Joshua or Oleksandr Usyk, but only after one more fight this year. Wilder is already plotting his next move in a bid to climb back into the title mix.

“The plan is for Deontay to have another fight before the end of this year,” Finkel exclusively told World Boxing News. “After that, we will be looking for a big fight in 2026.”

Pressed on what “big fight” meant, Finkel didn’t hesitate, saying, “We’d be looking at a fight with Anthony Joshua or Usyk, something like that,” he said.

While the hard-hitting ex-world titleholder holds links to several names since returning to the win column, including Jarrell Miller in September, Finkel refused to get drawn into confirming or denying the speculation.

The New Yorker wouldn’t entertain reports that Wilder spurned the chance to face Miller as part of Canelo vs Crawford fight week.

A Big Fight in 2026
Wilder’s destructive win over Herndon, his first victory in over three years, has breathed fresh life into his career, with the Alabama puncher now seeking to end his storied run on a high.

If Finkel’s two-fight game plan holds, Wilder’s next fight will serve as a tune-up for a final push toward one of the sport’s most lucrative heavyweight clashes, against either British superstar Joshua or undisputed ruler Usyk.

Both potential opponents are on separate paths at present, but with the heavyweight landscape constantly shifting, Wilder’s name is once again firmly back in the conversation for the division’s biggest nights.

WBN expects a minor step-up from Herndon before a much sterner test comes into play for the knockout artist in the spring or summer of 2026.

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