Tipped for the top, Moses Itauma is already being compared to some of Britain’s best heavyweights, and now details regarding his sparring sessions with two-time world champion Tyson Fury have been revealed.

Whilst yet to defeat an elite heavyweight or claim world honours, many British fight fans believe that 21-year-old Moses Itauma is the United Kingdom’s standout heavyweight and that a long, dominant reign is around the corner for the Kent-based sensation.

Next month, Itauma will hope to tee up a world title bid by scoring a career-best win over Filip Hrgovicwell-poised to challenge for all four of the heavyweight marbles and in the privileged position to select his own preferred route to the throne.

It is not only the fans who are appreciative of Itauma’s talent, with boxing manager Spencer Brown telling Playbook Boxing that Tyson Fury recognised the skill of the youngster after their ‘frightening’ sparring sessions in 2024.

“Him and Tyson, when they were in camp together, when Tyson was fighting [Oleksandr] Usyk, they had a great bond and him and Tyson sat and talked about boxing and what he has to do, what he hasn’t. He gave him all of the experience in the world.”

“It [the sparring] was unbelievable, it was frightening but it was great. They bumped each other and they just went at it. I think at one stage Moses went to get out of the ring and Tyson said ‘nah, we have only done six, we are going to eight now,’ and he went ‘oh, alright’ and they went at it again.

“With Tyson, he just wants to help people. He can see what this kid is, you have only got to ask Tyson, he knows what this kid is and anybody in boxing knows what this kid is.”

At that stage, Fury was the reigning WBC heavyweight champion and heading into an undisputed showdown with Usyk.

As for Itauma, his clash with Hrgovic takes place at the O2 Arena on Saturday, August 29as the youngster seeks yet another authoritative display that once again captures the attention of the boxing universe.

Unified light-heavyweight world champion Dmitry Bivol is set to turn down a huge opportunity for another major fight, despite massive financial incentive.

Bivol collided with Artur Beterbiev in October 2024 in an instant classic light-heavyweight affair, but he came up short against the Canadian-Russian knockout artist, losing a majority-decision that saw Beterbiev claim the undisputed throne.

Just four months later, Bivol returned the favour and scored a majority-decision win of his own to avenge his solitary career defeat, putting an end to Beterbiev’s undefeated record and claiming the undisputed title for himself.

A third meeting has been mooted ever since, with Beterbiev remaining inactive in the 17 months that have followed, whilst Bivol returned to action with a win over Michael Eifert back in May.

Speaking with The RingIBA President Umar Kremlev revealed that Bivol is yet to accept a proposal for a trilogy showdown, in spite of the fact that he has been offered double the purse that he received for his other fights with Beterbiev.

“I’m very disappointed. Everyone is waiting for this fight. I don’t know why Bivol and his team are not accepting the offer, but I will do my best to make this fight happen. We’ve been having discussions with both teams for quite a while. I can confirm that Beterbiev and his team are ready for the fight.

“The offer we made to Bivol for the third fight was considerably bigger than the first two fights. Specifically, he was given two times a bigger offer than in previous fights. Beterbiev will fight for free just to make this fight happen.”

Continuing, Kremlev speculated that Bivol is seeking alternative opportunities but shared his thoughts that 41-year-old Beterbiev deserves the chance to reclaim his old belts, having agreed to an immediate rematch without hesitation after their initial encounter.

“To be honest, we’ve made really good offers in writing but unfortunately, Bivol’s team is still waiting for something. He appears ready for the fight, but his team is thinking.

“As far as I can see, it looks like they are looking for other opportunities and options in the market. I believe firmly that we need to find common ground and we need to make this fight happen. The world is waiting. Beterbiev gave Bivol a rematch and Bivol should do the same. It’s the only appropriate gesture.

“I can assure everyone that we are ready to organise the third fight at the highest level. We can stage the fight for 100,000 fans if it happens in Russia but are also open to bringing it wherever it needs to be. The most important thing is that the fight needs to happen. I’m confident it’s going to be another great fight.”

It is understood that Liverpool’s Callum Smith will likely be Bivol’s next opponentfollowing surgery on an injured elbow, with that contest expected to delay any Beterbiev trilogy until mid-2027.

Having twice unsuccessfully challenged for world honours, British heavyweight veteran Derek Chisora now looks unlikely to become a world champion, but ‘Del Boy’ has revealed that he recently turned down the opportunity to fight for a world title at the age of 42.

Chisora came up short against Deontay Wilder back in Aprilin a fight that was supposed to be his career finale, but still rumours of a return refuse to burn out, much like Chisora’s thirst for violence.

Nevertheless, Chisora has now been removed from the world rankings with all four recognised governing bodies, with his dream of finally claiming a world title – following previous failed attempts against Vitali Klitscko (2012) and Tyson Fury (2022) – looking all but over.

Speaking to Seconds Out though, Chisora has confirmed that he was offered a tempting shot at Murat Gassiev’s WBA heavyweight crown when Tony Yoka pulled out of their fight last week, but that he declined due to a lack of preparation.

“No, it didn’t cross my mind [to step in on short notice]. I was on holiday with the kids and then I got a phone call. I said, ‘I am going to Russia anyway, I would rather go and watch somebody else fight for it,’ – erm, liar!

“This is exactly what I did, KD [David Ghansa] called me, Nicole [Macdermott] called me and the numbers were ok. Then, I went and did a fitness test and my fitness test was not right, so I said, ‘You know what? just let it go,’

“I was not ready. Mentally, I was ready, but then you get in there and it’s like boom, boom, boom and you are like ‘What am I doing this for?’.”

Instead, the opportunity landed at the feet of Germany’s Peter Kadiru, but he was unable to capitalise and was halted after six rounds of one-sided action in Moscow, before Gassiev proceeded to call on a fight with Chisora during the post-fight interview.