Just before he went on a 10-fight unbeaten streak, hitting number eight by knocking out Mariusz Wach in two rounds, Moses Itauma discussed his career prospects and lofty aspirations with Shaun Brown.
BUSINESS is booming in the heavyweight category and there has never been a better time to be a part of it.
It's even more rewarding if you joined during the embryonic stage of your career and are playing with some of the biggest cards boxing fans have seen in a long time.
Moses Itauma many are considered a man who will be king one day and those same words believe that it is not a crime if but it is very possible when he will take the throne. The 19-year-old Slovakian-born Brit stopped Germany's Ilja Mezencev for the last time as the Itauma hype train made its second stop in Saudi Arabia, a place where the top heavyweights are earning well but have had to continue to prove themselves, much to the delight of all boxing fans.
Itauma vs Mezencev secured a spot on the 10-fight 'Ring of Fire' card last month at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, topped by Oleksandr Usyk's stunning victory over Tyson Fury.
“What a guy Usyk is,” Itauma said boxing news, watching the great Ukraine closely during his victory in Riyadh.
“I had goosebumps the whole fight. I was like, 'This is going to be me soon.' I was watching it as a fan but I knew that soon I would get there too. I had a slight scratching sensation.
“You know what you're crazy about?” As I watched it… [coach] Lee Wylie thought Usyk would win and he said [it’s] because of this way and, as I watched, I said, 'He did everything Lee said he would do.'
“Usyk, you have to take off his hat. What a guy. He has achieved everything he can do in the sport and more than two times from cruiserweight and heavyweight.”
Lee Wylie is now part of Team Itauma and is a key part of Ben Davison's training team, where the heavyweight hopeful is honing his craft in a stable that includes two-time world featherweight champion Leigh Wood and two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua. Wylie is well known for his study of fights and his ability to break it down clip-by-clip, frame-by-frame and pass on his respected analysis to Davison, Wood, Joshua and now Itauma.
“I've never learned as much as Lee Wylie,” Itauma said praising his new team member. “It's crazy, it's crazy. You have an unlimited number of videos, clips and testimonials. I was like, 'What…you shouldn't know all this.'”
Itauma has been working with Sheffield-based trainer Alan Smith, but has now put his development in the hands of Ben Davison – who once trained Tyson Fury and now Joshua. The coach who could not be questioned did not get the praise he deserved at first but is now respected as one of the best players in the world. So, why did Itauma – who could have gone anywhere in the UK or America – choose Davison?
“If I can tell you I'll be here for three or four days,” he replied. “I was with Al Smith at the time and I didn't know what to remove or where to remove or whether to do it or not. I sat down and talked about it – like I said – for three or four days. I had to take action and chose to go with Ben.”
“Everything is accounted for,” he added. “Everything has been studied. Maybe that's what other coaches don't do.”
Itauma education has its fair share of teachers to listen to. From promoter Frank Warren to manager Francis Warren to the 23-year-old older brother of Moses and Karol, who hit his stride when he lost to Ezequiel Osvaldo Maderna in January 2023.
But when it comes to sports in and out of the ring, you could do a lot worse than talking to Tyson Fury. The former heavyweight champion chose Itauma to join him as he prepared to face Usyk and he survived the previous rounds with talent but boy did he tell. BN he learned more than just boxing.
“That was great,” he recalls of his time with Fury. I think I learned more outside the ring than I did in it, like what he was telling me to do with my money or even the media and sparring in general. I learned a lot outside the ring. Obviously, I learned some things inside the ring but a lot outside.”
The media? Well, as he talks to her BN we asked what Fury had to say about that side of the sport. “I don't want to say anything,” he joked.
Itauma will have his 10th The fight will take place on July 27 at the O2 Arena, London where heavyweights Joe Joyce and Derek Chisora will fight for more than victory. It will be clear who Itauma will face on the undercard and whether or not he will stay in the ring for more than the 230 seconds required last time. [Ed – Itauma defeated Mariusz Wach in two rounds].
A possible future fight could come against current English champion Solomon Dacres, who joined Itatuma under the Queensberry Promotions banner last year. The 30-year-old is scheduled to defend his title against David Adeleye, one of Frank Warren's juniors, on July 20. Itauma will likely have his eye on the winner but…
He said: “That is if Solomon or David want to fight.” “I will happily fight them for any title but if they want to fight.”
Solomon Dacres (Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing)
Itauma is frustrated at not being able to get guys of Dacres' caliber in the ring with him. “I feel guilty for not fighting good opponents when good opponents don't want to fight me,” he said.
“I'm an undefeated prize… because I'm a young up-and-coming fighter. When he hits me it's like, 'Oh, that has to happen when you're young.' And, if I hit them, they can't really come back from that. So, I understand why they don't fight me but it really worries me.”
After his fight on July 27, Itauma is likely to fight two or three times before the end of the year. And, in the last 10 days of 2024, he will not only celebrate his 20th birthdayth birthday (December 28) but we'll also find out if Fury can get revenge on Usyk for their rematch scheduled for December 21 in Riyadh.
Fury became world heavyweight champion at the age of 27, bamboozling Germany's Wladimir Klitschko nine years ago and walking away with three titles. Usyk, who defeated all his cruiserweight rivals to become the undisputed champion at 200lbs, did the same to Anthony Joshua in their first fight three years ago at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium which ended with the Ukrainian becoming joint champion.
Itauma first set his sights on becoming a world champion before he was 20 years and four months old. The same age that Mike Tyson broke the 30-year record held by Floyd Patterson (21 years, 10 months) to become the youngest ever heavyweight champion when he beat Trevor Berbick on November 22, 1986, at the Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas.
If Itauma is going to take that honor away from 'Iron' Mike he will have to do it before April 28, 2025. However, now it seems that that desire is fading due to what he is learning about the sport. .
“My next fight is my most important fight,” he said. “When I became a champion, I did not know that there are many things that I cannot control. In order to beat that record, there are a lot of things that are out of my control [which] it needs to be controlled and I'm not in a position to do that. All I do is get in the ring and fight and I do that to the best of my ability and if it comes, it comes, if not, it doesn't happen.”
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