Bashir on the Usyk–Itauma Rumors: “They just want to see him beaten”

Former Oleksandr Usyk trainer and current Vladyslav Sirenko coach James Ali Bashir weighed in on the chatter about pairing Usyk with Britain’s rising prospect Moses Itauma.

“I think Joseph Parker has earned the right to be Usyk’s next opponent.

I keep hearing they want to throw Itauma in there, but he’s only twenty. Oleksandr Usyk is thirty‑eight. People are so eager to see someone beat Usyk they’re willing to throw everything they’ve got at him.

But that doesn’t mean Usyk wouldn’t beat Itauma—because Usyk is a real fox,” Bashir said.

The talk of matching Usyk with Itauma intensified after Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority chief Turki Alalsheikh expressed interest in the bout following Usyk’s win over Daniel Dubois.

Photo: RingSide24