Tony Bellew has advised Moses Itauma against facing an opponent who, based on his superior experience, could become the first man to drag him into deep waters.

The heavyweight prodigy already has his hands full, of course, as he will face seasoned veteran Filip Hrgovic at London’s O2 Arena on August 29.

On paper, this is undoubtedly his toughest test thus far, with Hrgovic’s only professional defeat having come via an eighth-round stoppage against Daniel Dubois in June 2024.

Itauma, on the other hand, has never made it past six rounds, but was close to doing so before dispatching Jermaine Franklin with a fifth-round finish in March.

Having cemented himself as a formidable knockout artist, the 21-year-old is now ranked No.1 with both the WBO and WBA, seemingly closing in on a major opportunity.

According to former world champion Bellew, though, the talented southpaw should steer well clear of Oleksandr Usykwho relinquished his WBC, IBF and WBA belts last month.

Even at the age of 39, and after having to grind out a 11th-round stoppage against Rico Verhoeven in May, the Ukrainian is still the lineal heavyweight champion and, more generally, a generational great.

For this reason, Bellew has told Fight Your Corner that, even at this stage in their careers, Itauma is not ready for an elite competitor like Usyk.

“Moses [shouldn’t] go near him at the minute. I think that it would be absolutely insane to throw Moses Itauma into [an] Usyk [fight] after not going past six [rounds] yet.

“Would you throw a fighter like that in with someone like [Usyk]? [Usyk’s] game plan would be, ‘I have only got to see past six rounds with you, kid. I am going to take you to places that you have never been’.”

While a matchup between Usyk and Itauma has been widely discussed, it does appear that the two southpaws will ultimately go their separate ways.

The 12-round bout headlines a Coliseo Promotions “Noche Suprema” card that will be streamed live on YouTube.

“I am very motivated to fight in Hermosillo, my hometown for the last 15 years,” Berchelt told The Ring. “I want to show all my fans that there is more ‘Alacran’ Berchelt for many years.”

Berchelt (42-3, 37 KOs) enjoyed one of the sport’s strongest runs at 130 pounds after stopping Francisco “Bandido” Vargas in the 11th round to capture the WBC title in January 2017. He followed that victory with six successful title defenses, defeating former champion Takashi Miura and stopping Vargas in their rematch, Miguel Roman, and Jason Sosa during his reign.

His momentum came to a halt in February 2021 when Oscar Valdez knocked him out in the 10th round to claim the WBC belt. Less than a year later, Berchelt moved up to lightweight and suffered another stoppage loss, retiring after six rounds against Jeremia Nakathila.

Since then, the 34-year-old has quietly rebuilt his career with four consecutive victories, all in Mexico. Although the opposition has been modest, the winning streak has kept alive hopes that the former champion still has something to offer after years of punishing battles.

Cordoba (7-1, 4 KOs) enters the fight after scoring a second-round knockout in May. The Colombian has competed above his natural weight in recent outings and now steps in against the most accomplished opponent of his career.

A victory would extend Berchelt’s comeback to five straight wins as he attempts to work his way back into contention nearly a decade after beginning his title-winning run against Vargas.

Dalton Smith’s WBC light welterweight title defense against Alberto Puello is expected to take place on Oct. 24 at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield, England, according to veteran boxing journalist Dan Rafael.

The bout is expected to headline a Matchroom Boxing event after its original June 6 date was postponed when Smith suffered an elbow injury during training camp. The undefeated British champion was forced to withdraw before fight week, delaying his first defense of the WBC belt.

Smith has quickly emerged as one of Britain’s leading contenders at 140 pounds. The Sheffield native captured the vacant WBC title earlier this year and will now have the opportunity to defend it in front of his hometown fans if the revised date is finalized.

Puello, a former world titleholder from the Dominican Republic, earned the mandatory title shot after remaining among the division’s top-ranked contenders. Before traveling to England, he is scheduled to face Miguel Ángel Bolaño in a 10-round stay-busy fight on July 18 in Santo Domingo.

The Smith-Puello matchup has been viewed as one of the division’s most significant championship bouts outside of the United States. A victory for Smith would further strengthen his position among the elite light welterweights, while Puello will look to regain a world title by handing the unbeaten champion the first defeat of his professional career.

Neither Matchroom Boxing nor the WBC has formally announced the rescheduled date, but Rafael reported the fight is expected to move forward on Oct. 24 in Sheffield.

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Last Updated on 2026/07/11 at 1:51 AM