Moses Itauma will face Dillian ‘The Bodysnatcher’ Whyte in a classic case of youth vs experience in Saudi Arabia on August 16th.
Dillian Whyte is looking in the best condition of his career to date ahead of a make-or-break fight with rising star, Moses Itauma, leading many to sway after initially writing him off against the 20-year-old phenom.
Whyte’s career has faded since his loss to Tyson Fury as a result of lackluster opposition, a failed PED test, periods of inactivity, and multiple fight withdrawals – including against Anthony Joshua and Joe Joyce.
The 37-year-old is in the closing chapters of his career, but maintains that despite being an old wolf, he still has sharp teeth.
The former interim champion is the one man standing in the way of Itauma fighting for a world title, and is not likely to make it easy for the 12-0 pro, who could go on to face one resurgent boxer next.
Moses Itauma could fight Joseph Parker for the world title next
Moses Itauma is on the brink of stardom after a series of dominant KOs, the latest of which came against Mike Balogun on the undercard of Ekow Essuman against Josh Taylor, who has now retired from boxing.
Itauma has been labelled as the next big thing in the division, with Turki Alalshikh even suggesting Itauma vs Oleksandr Usyk is the fight to make next, completely snubbing Joseph Parker, who has more than earned his shot at the crown.
Parker is coming off a string of wins over Deontay Wilder, Zhilei Zhang, and Martin Bakole, and is next in line to face Usyk as the WBO interim champion.
With Itauma ranked number one by the WBO, it is possible that if Usyk relinquishes the belt instead of facing Parker, perhaps if he faces Joshua or Fury in a trilogy instead, Parker vs Itauma may be ordered for the world title.
Frank Warren told talkSPORT: “If the fight doesn’t take place between Oleksandr Usyk and Joe Parker, then they will order the next available contender, and the next available contender in the ratings is Moses.”
This could mean in just 14 fights, Itauma may be a heavyweight world champion at the age of 20-21.
But before any of that can happen, he must first get past Dillian Whyte, who plans to revive his career against Itauma.
Dillian Whyte’s loss to Tyson Fury is older than Itauma’s entire career
Bizarrely, Whyte’s last high-profile fight, his loss to Fury in 2022, occurred seven months before Itauma stepped foot in the ring for the first time as a pro.
Not only that, but Whyte’s comeback fight against Jermaine Franklin, who he beat by majority decision, was two months before Itauma’s debut.
Whyte also has a son four years older than Itauma, despite being just 37 years of age himself.
Since Itauma made his first appearance in January 2023, he has had 12 fights. Whyte, meanwhile, has had just two, one against 27-10 Christian Hammer, and the latest against Ebenezer Tetteh, who ‘The Bodysnatcher’ beat in a labored seven-round effort.