Queensberry promoter Frank Warren says “regular” WBA heavyweight champion Kubrat Pulev must next defend against No. 1 Moses Itauma. The WBA has ordered the fight. Warren claims that if Pulev (32-3, 14 KO) decides to fight Murat Gassiev again on December 12, 2025, he will have a problem because the fight has not been sanctioned.
The recovery trail continues
In terms of age, Pulev, 44, fits more into the category of older players that Moses Itauma has been raving about since turning professional in 2023. Itauma, 20, raids the infirmary of convalescence homes, looking for his victim.
Given the hype around Itauma talking in ponderous motion, why does he only fight older fighters? If he’s the gigantic chip prospect he was built to be, why are they competing with 40-year-olds? This makes Itauma look suspicious, like he’s just smoke and mirrors, manufactured to look like gold considering the way he’s selected.
Itauma’s recent opponents:
- Mariusz Wach: 44 years antique
- Mike Balogun: 41
- Dan Garber: 40
- Dillian Whyte: 37
“Pulev must fight Moses [Itauma]. This has been ordered. This is for ordinary people [WBA] title. That puts him down [Itauma] in a good situation, and we hope we can sort it out, otherwise we’ll proceed with bidding,” said promoter Frank Warren talkSport Boxing about his plans to field Moses Itauma in a title fight against regular WBA heavyweight champion Kubrat Pulev.
Warren sounds like he’s convinced that Itauma’s dethronement of regular WBA heavyweight champion Pulev is his golden ticket to fielding Moses to fight Oleksandr Usyk. This may not work because it is too uncomplicated and requires no risk on Itauma’s part. Pulev recently lost to journeyman Derek Chisora by a 12-round split decision on July 9, 2022. He looked painfully ponderous in his loss to Chisora.
Effortless Itauma route disputed
“They announced it, but it wasn’t sanctioned by the WBA,” Warren said of Pulev’s defense against Murat Gassiev on December 12, 2025. “What if he [Pulev] If it continues like this, he will have a problem, because they already called for a fight against Moses, but they have a problem with us.”
Wardley’s plan was ignored
If Warren wanted to strengthen Itauma’s position ahead of the Oleksandr Usyk fight, he should have urged him to follow the same path as Fabio Wardley by fighting top-class fighters like Joseph Parker and Frank Sanchez.
“We don’t know where we are at. We have to work it out with Pulev. Let’s see where we are first,” Warren said when asked on December 13 whether Itauma was still fighting.
DAZN needs a fresh headliner
It would be great for a Derek Chisora vs. trilogy gala. Dillian Whyte on December 13 should Moses Itauma be on the card as a headliner against 44-year-old Kubrat Pulev or, ideally, a younger fighter with more talent like Frank Sanchez.
Given that the December 13 event will be broadcast on DAZN PPV, the headliner needs to be a dazzling, younger and talented fighter, not faded journeymen Chisora and Whyte. Pulev is not someone the British boxing public or American fans would want to pay for an Itauma fight.