A second sanctioning body has decided to rate Moses Itauma as its No. 1 heavyweight.
That’s where Itauma sits in the WBA’s latest rankings update, which was released on September 1. Itauma has also been rated in the No. 1 spot by the WBO since May; the IBF has him at No. 6 and the WBC at No. 9.
Itauma, 13-0 (11 KOs), had previously been No. 2 in the WBA ratings. But then he blew away Dillian Whyte in just two minutes on August 16. That led the WBA to switch 20-year-old Itauma with Michael Hunter, who had been the sanctioning body’s No. 1 since July.
The WBA has three heavyweight titleholders right now, because – well – because the WBA.
Oleksandr Usyk is the primary WBA titleholder and the undisputed heavyweight champion with all four sanctioning bodies’ main world titles. Kubrat Pulev has the secondary “regular” belt, and Fabio Wardley has the tertiary interim belt.
Pulev, a 44-year-old with a record of 32-3 (14 KOs), is one of the names that Itauma’s team has mentioned as a possibility for their fighter's next bout, which could come before the end of 2025.
Pulev last fought in December, when he seized the belt from Mahmoud Charr via unanimous decision.
David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.
