LONDON — Moses Itauma has been labeled “the next coming” by the last British heavyweight to become undisputed champion, Lennox Lewis.

The precocious 20-year-old is back in action Aug. 16 in a clear step-up bout against former world title challenger Dillian Whyte. The pair clash in the main event of the Esports World Cup Fight Week in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on DAZN Pay-Per-View (£15.99 in the UK; $49.99 in the United States).

Lewis, now 59, was in town for last Saturday night’s undisputed championship between Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium. He was asked about Itauma’s chances of eventually becoming world champion.

Itauma (12-0, 10 KOs) has been hailed as a future world heavyweight champion. This encounter with Whyte (31-3, 21 KOs) will tell us much about his potential to reach the top.

But Lewis, who famously became undisputed heavyweight champion when he beat Evander Holyfield in 1999, has no doubt that Itauma can go all the way.

“Itauma is the next coming,” Lewis said. “We’ve got a lot of heavyweights and great fighters coming out of Britain right now. Moses is definitely one of them.”

Lewis also believes another of Britain’s former unified world heavyweight champions, Anthony Joshua, still has plenty to offer the division despite his crushing defeat to Dubois in September.

Joshua has not boxed since that night, when he was dramatically knocked out in the fifth round, but says he's on the comeback trail following elbow surgery.

“It really depends on what he wants to prove,” Lewis said of Joshua’s return. “If he wants to prove that he's still got it then he's got to come back and box somebody that's still about it.”

Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) has made no secret of his desire to finally secure the biggest heavyweight fight in British boxing history against Tyson Fury (34-2-1, 24 KOs).

“The Gypsy King,” himself a two-time WBC heavyweight champion, last week announced that he would return in 2026 if it meant a third fight with Usyk. Ukraine’s Usyk (24-0, 15 KOs), who has beaten Fury twice already on points, knocked out Dubois (22-3, 21 KOs) in the fifth round of their rematch. He might be open to facing Fury again.

Lewis says Fury should instead come back and fight Joshua.

“It would be a travesty if they never fight each other,” he said. “I think everybody's looking at the Tyson Fury fight for Joshua and I think that's a good fight for both guys. We need to see that fight. I think they owe it to the British public.”