Tyson Fury has been in talks about fighting Oleksandr Usyk, and after getting confirmation last year in September, Fury and Usyk have been in the news about their clash taking place in February.
From initial rumors to the official date announcement, we are now merely a month away from the historic clash between the WBA champion and the WBC champion in the heavyweight division.
Tyson Fury spars Moses Itauma for his Oleksandr Usyk fight
Sparring sessions with one of the best in the boxing heavyweight division is a dream for many aspiring boxers. Numerous young fighters aspire to have the opportunity to share the ring with champions in championship bouts, while some aim to idolize these champions and find a role in their training camps. This dream turned into reality for the upcoming boxer Moses Itauma, who joined Tyson Fury’s training camp ahead of the Fury-Usyk Clash. The moment was captured in a picture shared on social media, where both boxers were seen standing together after their sparring session.
Tyson Fury after sparring with Moses Itauma today ahead of the Oleksandr Usyk undisputed fight on Feb 17th… pic.twitter.com/3bLvjFtJEm
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) January 23, 2024
The 19-year-old Moses Itauma also competes in the heavyweight division, hailing from the United Kingdom. So far, he has seven wins in his professional career, maintaining a flawless record with zero losses.
From those fights, Itauma has secured 5 wins via knockout, similar to Tyson Fury who gained a reputation for knocking out opponents. Moses made headlines last December when he turned down the offer to spar with Tyson Fury as he had his own plans to engage in bouts before the year ended, although there were some changes in the date of his scheduled bout.
Why did Jai Opetaia quit Tyson Fury training camp?
Earlier, former IBF champion Jai Opetaia was slated to be in Tyson Fury’s training camp, but he chose to fly back to Australia. Given that Jai is also a cruiserweight champion, he is expected to defend his title soon. His team manager revealed that Opetaia is back in the country to prepare for his upcoming match-up.
Jai Opetaia did five rounds of sparring with Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia but with a lack of orthodox sparring in Fury’s camp Opetaia has now returned to Australia to continue his own preparations for the planned Mairis Briedis rematch at #FuryUsyk
— Ben Damon (@ben_damon) January 22, 2024
Though Opetaia had the opportunity to do five rounds with the WBC champion, he had to leave the training camp upon reaching Saudi Arabia. Rumors circulated on the internet that Fury got knocked out in that 5-round sparring session, which his manager competely denied.
Jai Opetaia is also an undefeated fighter who recently vacated his IBF championship title and moved on to continue with the cruiserweight championship belt.
Later in the day, Tyson Fury found a new sparring partner in the form of Moses Itauma, who can provide insights into agility and the challenging art of evading punches.
Do you believe Moses Itauma’s sparring session with Tyson Fury could be one of the factors in defeating Oleksander Usyk?
