2020 Olympic Silver medalist Richard Torrez Jr. says he desires to fight Moses Itauma next. He states that he’s “willing and able” to fight Itauma (13-0, 11 KOs) to present him the prospect to prove he’s able to challenge Oleksandr Usyk for his heavyweight belts.
Would Queensberry Risk It?
The 26-year-old Torrez Jr. (13-0, 11 KOs) can be an enormous step up at school for the 20-year-old Itauma from the low-level opposition that his promoters at Queensberry have been matching him up against.
It’s doubtful that Itauma’s British promoters will risk him against a live body like Torrez Jr., because he doesn’t fit the category of fighters that they’ve been matching Moses against. He’s not in his 40s and isn’t on the downside of his profession. Itauma has faced a selected kind of heavyweight since turning pro. Torrez Jr. doesn’t fit the mold.
As an amateur, Moses never fought the creme de la creme from Cuba, Eastern Europe, or the U.S. Itauma quickly turned pro before facing any of the talented world amateurs that may have shown what he’s about.
Although they made an enormous deal about matching Itauma against Dillian Whyte in his last contest on August 16, 2025, that was one other example of a gimme-level opponent fed to the highly hyped Itauma to make sure he stays unbeaten long enough to fight Usyk.
Torrez’s Resume Speaks Louder
Torrez Jr. is ranked #4 IBF, #11 WBC, and #11 WBO. Based on his resume, he must be ranked higher than Moses Itauma.
Torrez’s recent 10-round unanimous decision victory over the 2016 Olympian Guido Vianello is healthier than any of the wins on Itauma’s resume. The 37-year-old Whyte, who Itauma knocked out last August, shouldn’t be on the identical level as Vianello.
Whyte had already been knocked out lately by Tyson Fury in six rounds on April 23, 2022, and Alexandr Povetkin in five rounds on August 22, 2020.
“If He’s Ready for Usyk, Fight Me”
“I need that fight. I need that Itauma fight. I feel that may be an important fight,” said Richard Torrez Jr. to Sean Zittel on X. “If anyone desires to know if he’s ready for Usyk or not, have a look at me. I’m a lefty, I even have pressure, I punch rather a lot. In the event you put a baby within the ring, I’ll punch a baby.”
The ability and pressure style that Torrez Jr. has going for him can be a nightmare for Moses Itauma to take care of. It will be the primary fight through which he’s fought someone who can punch back since his bout with Stylianos Roulias within the amateurs in 2022.
Itauma was on his bike the whole three-round bout against Roulias, attempting to escape his pressure. It was not impressive stuff from Moses, showing the flaw in his game. He doesn’t take care of unrelenting pressure well, and that’s the type of style that Torrez Jr. brings, but with more power.
“I understand he wants those belts, but we’re each young heavyweights. We’re each energetic, we’re each willing and able,” said Torrez Jr. about his interest in fighting Moses Itauma.
Itauma’s List of Aging Opponents
Ideally, Queensberry should take Richard Torrez Jr. up on his offer to fight Itauma, as it might be an enormous fight, and it might show fans that he’s not the fake hype job that lots of them consider him to be. They see Itauma being matched against these older fighters, they usually’re in a position to connect the dots to see what his profession is absolutely all about:
- Dillian Whyte – 37
- Mike Balogun – 41
- Dan Garber – 40
- Mariusz Wach – 45
“I don’t think he’ll duck that fight. I’m not going to duck that fight. I might love that fight. Let’s put some motion together. I do know the UK fans are amazing fight fans. The USA will certainly get behind me as well. I say that’s an important fight that I need to make occur,” said Torrez Jr.
Last Updated on 10/28/2025