Saudi Arabia’s powerful boxing chief Turki Alalshikh has declared the fight he wants to see next – and it involves newly re-crowned undisputed heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk.
Moments after Usyk stopped Daniel Dubois in the fifth round of their Wembley rematch, Alalshikh took to social media to call for a showdown between the Ukrainian and rising British star Moses Itauma.
‘I want to see Usyk against Itauma. This is the fight,’ wrote Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, alongside a shrugging emoji and boxing glove.
Alalshikh was ringside at Wembley Stadium for Saturday night’s heavyweight blockbuster. He was seen sitting alongside veteran promoter Frank Warren and was also pictured in conversation with actor Jason Statham.
Usyk, 38, turned in another masterful performance under the Wembley lights to end Dubois’ hopes of becoming the first British fighter to unify the heavyweight division in the four-belt era. The Londoner was dropped twice in the fifth and counted out as the 90,000-strong crowd erupted.
Oleksandr Usyk is the undisputed world heavyweight champion again after beating Daniel Dubois in their rematch at London’s Wembley Stadium on Saturday night
Saudi Arabian boxing chief Turki Alalshikh was ringside for Saturday’s fight in north London
Alalshikh later declared that he wanted to see Usyk clash with 20-year-old Moses Itauma next
The win means Usyk regains the IBF belt – which he was stripped of last year – and reclaims his status as undisputed champion, having first held that honour in the cruiserweight ranks.
The unbeaten southpaw now boasts a perfect 24-0 record, including 13 world title wins from 13 attempts.
Alalshikh’s suggestion of a Usyk vs Itauma clash would pit the seasoned legend against one of the sport’s most promising young talents. Itauma, just 20 years old, has been tipped for the very top and is seen by many as a future world champion.
Usyk, however, is not rushing into anything. After the fight, he told DAZN: ‘Nothing is next. It’s enough. Next, I want to rest. My family, my wife, my children – I want to rest now. Two or three months, I want to just rest.’
