Moses Itauma will show his level as he prepares to face battle-hardened former interim champion Dillian Whyte on August 16th.
Moses Itauma is preparing for his biggest fight yet as the 20-year-old phenom hopes to improve to 13-0 against Dillian ‘The Bodysnatcher’ Whyte.
Whyte has likened himself to Carl Thompson after Thompson defeated an up-and-coming David Haye, and looks in great shape ahead of his make-or-break bout against the rising star.
Despite his age, Itauma is determined to prove he is capable of hanging in the big leagues, and a win over Whyte, whose only unavenged losses have come against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, is sure to do just that.
The young Brit is leaving no stone unturned ahead of this test, and is determined to make up for what he lacks in experience in a big way.
Moses Itauma went for a run at midnight after Oleksandr Usyk defeated Daniel Dubois
In an interview with BoxNation, Itauma revealed that on more than one occasion, he has gone straight to training after watching a big fight, most recently after witnessing Oleksandr Usyk stop Daniel Dubois for the second time.
He said, “It’s very hard for me to see someone doing well and just sit still. Not jealousy, none of that, it’s just the fact that if Usyk’s at this level, in order for me to be the best, I need to be at this level. There’s no way I could’ve just, after that fight, gone to sleep like nothing happened.”
“I wouldn’t have liked myself when I would’ve woke up. I would’ve been like ‘Damn, I should’ve gone for that run.'”
Itauma revealed this was not the first time he has dived head-first into training immediately after watching a fight: “I done the same thing when Anthony Joshua knocked out Ngannou. I went to the gym and literally I was on the bike for two hours. I watched that fight on replay.”
The 20-year-old has demonstrated a will to win, and continues to prove every day that he lives and breathes boxing, and will do whatever it takes to reach the top.
He concluded, “All these guys have got so much experience on me, I need to bring something else to the game, and that’s hard work.”
Dillian Whyte has been written off by some big names, including his former coach
Whyte has shocked fans with his weight loss ahead of the match with Itauma, and seems to be taking the fight more seriously than any other.
And yet, despite Whyte’s work ethic and determination, his spells of inactivity, recent poor form, and age, all combine to make him the underdog going into the fight.
The Bodysnatcher’s former coach, Mark Tibbs, thinks Itauma will be too much for Whyte, and sees the young prospect picking up a career-defining win on August 16th.
Lawrence Okolie thinks Itauma will stop Whyte early, whilst even a man who was stopped by the Jamaican-Brit, Dave Allen, cannot see Whyte beating Itauma.
In what will be a classic case of experience vs youth, both men’s careers hang in the balance as Whyte looks to get a seat at the big table once more, whilst Itauma hopes not to slip on a big banana skin.