Heavyweight contender Moses Itauma was originally supposed to fight on July 25 at The O2 Arena in London, England, but that main event is being pushed back a couple of weeks, according to Frank Warren of Queensberry Promotions.
Warren, speaking Monday on The Ariel Helwani Show, says the new date will be Saturday, August 8, still at the same venue.
The move is because of Anthony Joshua’s return being announced for July 25. Although Joshua’s match with Kristian Prenga will take place in another country – in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – it will also stream on DAZN and would very much compete for viewers among U.K. and global boxing fans.
Warren said that while he was initially upset at Joshua-Prenga landing on July 25, he recognized there was no point in fighting it.
“We could’ve gone into a head to head and all this crap, but it is what it is,” Warren, whose company earlier this year threatened legal action against Saudi Arabia’s Sela, told Helwani. “We’ll just move forward and keep moving forward. We’ve got a great, great show we’ll have on the 8th.”
Warren also acknowledged that his role as Tyson Fury’s promoter comes into play as well, given that Joshua-Prenga is meant to set up AJ’s long-awaited clash with The Gypsy King.
Itauma, 14-0 (12 KOs), is coming off a fifth-round technical knockout of Jermaine Franklin Jnr in March at the Co-op Live in Manchester, England. As for Itauma’s next opponent, Warren wouldn’t tip his hand when asked:
“We’re working on a couple of names,” Warren responded. “Until the contract’s signed, I don’t like saying.”
David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.
