Moses Itauma offered huge heavyweight fight by Deontay Wilder’s ex-rival

The undefeated British star is eager to return to the squared-circle before the end of the year, and a top heavyweight is open to a showdown with the 20-year-old

Zhilei Zhang has expressed his interest in a blockbuster showdown with heavyweight star Moses Itauma.

Itauma has been a real breath of fresh air in the heavyweight division, after announcing himself on the world stage against Mariusz Wach in July 2024. He has since knocked out both Demsey McKean and Mike Balogun, but was handed his toughest test in August in the form of Dillian Whyte.

The 20-year-old needed just under two minutes to knock out the veteran in Saudi Arabia. Since then, Itauma has been targeting a return to action before the end of the year, but has found it hard to find an opponent. The Brit is eager to compete on a December card in Manchester – which is expected to be headlined by Derek Chisora.

With several opponents seemingly rejecting the chance to take on the dangerous knockout artist, Zhang has thrown his name into contention. The Chinese boxer has established himself as a real fan-favourite since claiming the interim WBO title against Joe Joyce. The 42-year-old defeated Joyce for a second time before losing to Joseph Parker in March 2024.

Zhang returned to the win column against Deontay Wilder, but was brutally knocked out by Agit Kabayel back in February in his last appearance in the ring. Nevertheless, ‘Big Bang’ is itching to return to the squared-circle and is open to fighting anyone, including Itauma.

In an interview with Box Nation, the heavyweight sensation said: “Moses Itauma is a great fighter. I watched a couple of his fights and he knocked out Dillian Whyte in one round. Fantastic, but for the time being, right now, we haven’t received anything from Itauma in terms of fighting him.” When asked if he would be open to it if he was sent an offer, the 42-year-old replied: “Anyone who wants to fight me, I want to see that contract, I will sign it.”

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Another fighter who is eager to take on Itauma is Parker. That said, the Kiwi fighter must first get through Fabio Wardley later this month. “Fighting once a year is just not good enough,” said Parker. “I want to fight as often as I can. I’m not even in this boxing game to be taking my time and picking fights to fight.

“And if all goes well with Wardley on 25 October, put me in the ring again at the end of the year. When you have the momentum and you keep fighting as a fighter, you are growing. You can do all the training and sparring, but there is nothing like being in the ring and fighting under those bright lights.

Parker was then asked whether he would accept a fight with the young Brit. “That would be another fight that I would love to take. I’ll take any fight,” he said. “I think Moses is a great talent. He can only fight who’s in front of him and he’s been able to take your business every time. He’s young, he’s powerful, he’s fast.

“I’ll fight everyone and anyone. Listen, he’s a big threat. He’s a very talented young fighter who’s just dominating whoever’s in front of him, so of course everyone’s going to ask for big money. But if it can happen, it will happen.”

When is the next boxing event?

Kieron Conway will take on George Liddard on Friday, October 17 at York Hall, Bethnal Green. The main undercard is set to get underway at around 7pm UK time (11am ET / 8am PT / 10am CT). In the main event, Liddard will make the walk to the ring first at around 10pm UK time (5pm ET / 2pm PT / 4pm CT) with Conway set to follow immediately after.

The timings of all fights are subject to change and will depend on how long the undercard takes to complete. All of the action is set to be shown live on DAZN. The popular streaming platform can be found as an additional subscription on TVs. It can also be streamed live on the official website or the downloadable app. A DAZN subscription is £119.99 or £14.99 per month, or £24.99 on a flexible commitment that can be cancelled at any point.