Moses Itauma will face Dillian Whyte in the biggest step-up of his career thus far, but is expected to make light work of the weathered ‘Bodysnatcher’.
After just 12 fights, Moses Itauma has been labeled the next Mike Tyson, the next star of the heavyweight division, the savior of British boxing, and even a worthy rival of Oleksandr Usyk.
It remains to be seen whether this is all hyperbole or if the 20-year-old from Kent, England, really does have what it takes to reach the pinnacle of the sport.
Itauma is coming off KO wins over Mike Balogun, Demsey McKean, and Mariusz Wach, and will be looking to make a statement against Dillian Whyte in their match on August 16th.
Of his 12 fights, just two have gone the distance, the first of which came against a durable journeyman who almost ended the career of another rising prospect.
Moses Itauma went the distance against journeyman who flattened Matty Harris
In Itauma’s third fight as a pro, having stopped his first two opponents, he was matched with Kostiantyn Dovbyshechenko, a 9-12-1 Ukrainian journeyman who had never been stopped.
Though Itauma won the fight with ease, Dovbyshechenko evaded his knockout power, dragging him further than anyone ever has, dropping a six-round points loss.
Dovbyshchenko proved he was not just a punching bag, though, when his next fight saw him face another British prospect – Matty Harris.
Harris was 5-0, with four first-round knockout victories, going into the fight, and was expected to answer any questions Dovbyshchenko would ask of him.
This is exactly what happened, as Harris dropped Dovbyshchenko in the second round. The Ukrainian, however, soon flipped the script, refusing to be stopped by the Brit, and securing a stoppage win of his own in the fifth round.
Harris didn’t fight for six months after that, but returned against Amine Boucetta, who Itauma KO’d quicker than Olympian Tony Yoka could.
Dovbyshchenko is one of two men to take Itauma the distance, the other being Kevin Espindola, who dragged Itauma to points in his very next fight. Itauma has criticized both performances.
Moses Itauma’s brother was stopped by a journeyman in major upset
Itauma isn’t the only boxer in his family, but he is the best one. Moses’ brother, Karol Itauma, is also a professional boxer, with a record of 13-1 with eight KO wins.
Karol, however, has yet to face any name of note, and is levels below his brother in terms of opposition faced.
Karol was stopped by 28-10 Ezequiel Maderna in his tenth fight after being struck with a right hand to the head.
The occasion was only made worse by the fact that Moses made his debut on the same card, and what could’ve been a celebration amongst brothers soon became joy for one, and sorrow for the other.
Karol has bounced back since the loss, though, and last fought in March this year on a Queensberry card.
Moses will face Dillian Whyte in his next outing, and Whyte has compared himself to Carl Thompson, who upset David Haye in his 10th fight, ahead of the clash.