Moses Itauma says he wants to focus on fighting the older, established heavyweights now while they’re still around. He states the younger ones, like Richard Torrez Jr. and Teremoana, will still be fighting in five years. He can then get to them.
The highly ranked Itauma (13-0, 11 KOs) has faced criticism from some fans for fighting older fighters in their late 30s and 40s rather than facing young talent. Itauma wants to take on the older guys now before they retire.
“In five years the guys that are at the top right now, who are 30, 31, 32, and 33, they’re not going to be here, whereas the Richard Torrez, Teremoana, and Justis Huni in five years, they’re still going to be here,” said Moses Itauma to iFL TV explaining his reasons for wanting to fight the older fighters first before facing the younger ones.
The 2020 Olympic silver medalist Torrez Jr. (14-0, 12 KOs) recently called Itauma out in an interview. His message was amplified on social media by many users, who saw Moses as ducking the 26-year-old. It’s easy to see it that way, especially when Moses is fighting 38-year-old Dillian Whyte.
“Let me fight these guys first, and then in five years, when these guys are gone, and it’s only us around, then we fight these guys, and then when we’ve all fought each other, we can fight the next crop,” said Itauma.
Moses will be fighting Jermaine Franklin (24-2, 15 KOs) next on January 24, 2026, at the Co-op Live Arena, Manchester, England. He believes that by knocking out Franklin, he will set himself apart from Anthony Joshua. He went the 12-round distance with Franklin in 2023, beating him by a unanimous decision.
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