Moses Itauma had ‘no fear’ while sparring one of the bravest fighters in boxing, while he was still at school.
On August 16, the prospect will battle it out with Dillian Whyte in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
While ‘The Body Snatcher’ is significantly more experienced than the 20-year-old, most are expecting a passing of the torch moment, with Lawrence Okolie claiming Itauma knocks Whyte out.
That’s mainly because those in the industry have known just how good the up-and-comer is for a very long time.
WOW: Dillian Whyte said he was offered two massive fights before accepting Moses Itauma clash
Moses Itauma had ‘no problems’ during sparring with Joe Joyce
Sam Jones, who used to manage Joe Joyce, once witnessed a spar between his old charge and Moses Itauma.
It’s fair to say he was blown away by what the fighter, who was still in high school at the time, was capable of.
In an interview with talkSPORT, he said: “I first saw Moses Itauma when he came with a school bag on, I think he was 15 or 16, to spar Joe Joyce at Stallard’s Boxing Gym in London.
“He took off his school uniform, I was thinking ‘What’s happening here’. He got in there, and I was like, ‘Hold on a minute, what’s he doing here’?
“There were three sparring partners, and I looked at him and I was like, ‘This kid is fantastic’. He was just short of 16 years old; he was a young kid.
“Joe was a big, strong man, but Moses Itauma, you just looked at him and thought, ‘This kid is going to be fantastic’.
“No fear whatsoever. Usually, it would be a bit daunting, there are three heavyweights, an Olympic silver medallist, — this is Joe when he was in his prime — and there were no problems.
“Moses Itauma has ticked every box so far.”
Moses Itauma savagely stopped his first opponent in 23 seconds
Just a few short years after that spar, Itauma had turned professional and was ready for his debut.
His opponent, who had a winning record, on paper, looked capable of extending him past the first round.
But mere moments after the first bell chimed, the referee jumped in to stop the contest.
In an impressive performance, Itauma finished his debut opponent in 23 seconds.