Dillian Whyte may have found a body he cannot snatch as ‘The Bodysnatcher’ prepares for his toughest test in rising talent, Moses Itauma.
To say Moses Itauma‘s career has been on an upward trajectory would be an understatement. The 20-year-old star has skyrocketed to fame after a series of impressive knockouts, being labelled as the next Mike Tyson by some, and a worthy rival of Oleksandr Usyk by others, including Turki Alalshikh.
Whyte, meanwhile, has, in his own words, spent a few years “in the long grass”, having suffered periods of inactivity, a failed PED test, and lackluster opposition, not to mention three fight withdrawals, in the last few years.
Despite his level of expertise at the top level of boxing, the odds seem to be stacked against the ‘Bodysnatcher’, though the battle-hardened Brit revealed he won’t go down without a fight. Whyte likened himself to Carl Thompson, who KO’d David Haye just as he was touted to be the next big star.
Ahead of the fight, Buddy McGirt, Whyte’s coach, has revealed the one thing Whyte must do to beat Itauma.
Dillian Whyte must drag Moses Itauma into the later rounds, trainer says
In a promo released ahead of the fight, Buddy McGirt talked tactics for a brief moment, and revealed what Whyte will be planning to do against Itauma.
“We can’t go out and try to gun. He’s young. He’s a youngster – fast. […] So we got to get him into, you know, deep waters. That’s the key, got to get him into deep waters where he hasn’t been.”
Itauma has only been ‘in deep waters’ twice, though both times were against journeymen early on in his career.
Itauma defeated Kostiantyn Dovbyshchenko on points, and the Ukrainian journeyman stopped fellow British prospect, Matty Harris in his very next fight.
Itauma lamented being unable to break Mike Tyson’s record of being the youngest heavyweight ever recently, but maintained belief in himself that he is the next big thing in this division.
A win for either man sets up a huge fight against some of the biggest names in the sport – from Usyk, to Fury, to Joshua, to Dubois.
Moses Itauma vs Dillian Whyte undercard has some interesting match-ups
Besides the main event, there are a few great fights on the undercard of Itauma vs Whyte.
In the co-main event, Filip Hrgovic vows to take David Adeleye’s soul as the pair face off for a seat at the big table.
Hrgovic is coming off a win over Joe Joyce, and a loss to Daniel Dubois in his fight beforehand, whilst Adeleye comes off a controversial win over Jeamie TKV, and a first-round blitz of Solomon Dacres before that.
Adeleye has far less experience at a high level, having lost to Fabio Wardley, though is certain he can beat ‘El Animal’.
Hrgovic claims Martin Bakole ducked him before this fight was made.
Also on the card, the ferocious Nick Ball will face Sam Goodman, who was scheduled to face Naoya Inoue but withdrew with injury more than once.
Ball is seeking another big win as a potential match between him and ‘The Monster’ becomes more and more possible.
Raymond Ford was set to face Anthony Cacace on the card, but will now take on Abraham Nova instead as Cacace was forced to withdraw.