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Moses Itauma does not believe that he deserves a title shot against Oleksandr Usyk despite his devastating knockout victory over Dillian Whyte on Saturday.
The 20-year-old met his compatriot in a hotly-anticipated heavyweight clash in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in a bout that many billed as his toughest test to date.
Itauma, who arrived in the Middle East with a flawless 12-0 record, didn’t even need two minutes to stop Whyte, knocking out the 37-year-old veteran with a booming right hand in a minute and 59 seconds at the ANB Arena.
Those inside the arena were calling Usyk’s name as Itauma was interviewed after the fight, with the victory moving the youngster a step closer to a world title fight.
Itauma is ranked No1 by the WBO in the heavyweight division, although Usyk holds the belt as the undisputed champion after his victory over Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium.
Usyk, however, has requested an extension to fight negotiations with New Zealand’s Joseph Parker, the mandatory WBO challenger, and the Kiwi could assume the belt should the Ukrainian be forced to vacate it.
That could then open the door for Itauma to have his first shot at a world title.
However, speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra, the Briton does not think he deserves the opportunity to share the ring with Usyk.
"I don't want to call out Usyk because I don't believe I deserve the opportunity,” he said. “But guys that do deserve the opportunity, I want to fight them a lot.
"So maybe Agit Kabayel, maybe Parker. Maybe these types of names.”
Itauma’s gameplan was flawless, as he exploded out of his corner at the first bell.
He went hunting immediately for that killer blow, with Whyte’s jab all over the place.
"That's what I've been drilling for 12, 13 weeks," Itauma continued.
"I have trained hard for this [so] I didn't want it to be over in the first round. I put on a performance for you guys.”
