Moses Itauma just turned 20, but he’s already one of the most feared prospects in the heavyweight division.
Demsey McKean was a world-class contender who had only lost once before meeting Itauma, and that loss came against Filip Hrgovic, who was a mandatory challenger for the IBF title at the time.
McKean advanced to the round of 12 with Hrgovic, but was unable to advance to first against Itauma.
The young Brit plowed through McKean, his fancy and hand speed too much for the Australian as he finished McKean with a devastating arching left cross before they reached the two-minute mark of the fight on the undercard of Oleksandr Usyk-Tyson.
Itauma wants to maintain his rapid progress and welcomes a world title fight with IBF world heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois.
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Daniel Dubois demands a rematch with Alexander Usyk after the Ukrainian’s victory over Tyson Fury.
“If the fight was presented to me, I would take it, 100 percent,” Itauma said. Sky Sports.
However, he believes that he will probably have to wait 12 months or more to win a world title while climbing the rankings, stating: zones”.
“I actually asked Ben (Davison, his coach) about it,” he said. of course.” I should have known we were all on the same page here.”
Itauma also believes he is unlikely to face Oleksandr Usyk or Tyson Fury, who are both 16 years his senior.
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Usyk used his exciting boxing skills to defeat Fury by decision and retain his world heavyweight titles
“I don’t think a fight would really make sense to anyone, but you never know. The world might change in a year, and I might show up for their fights. But I wouldn’t know.
“Tyson, Usyk and Joshua have had three completely different paths and they’ve all achieved the same thing, the heavyweight champion of the world. You have to take your hat off to all of them and just admire them, and then take everything away from each of them and then put it into one. in, that’s exactly what I’m trying to do.
“I wouldn’t have been in this position a few years ago if it wasn’t for their guys who paved the way. Anthony Joshua was the first guy to come back into the British boxing scene. You just have to be grateful.
“I admire all the top guys. But I’m here to make my way too.”
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Dubois says he wants to fight all the top guys as he is an undisputed target after his fight with Joseph Parker.
Although he only celebrated his 20th birthday on December 28th, Itauma has long been ahead of his time.
When he was still in school, he fought world champions such as Lawrence Okolie and Anthony Joshua, raising eyebrows when he arrived at elite gyms still in his school uniform, only to display boxing skills far beyond his years.
After sitting his GCSEs, he played directly against Joe Joyce, an Olympic silver medalist who would go on to win the WBO interim heavyweight title.
“They all looked at each other like this kid does in the ring. But then when the bell rang, it was a different story,” Itauma recalled.
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Former professional boxer Kieran Farrell tells his story after coming out of early retirement to help coach Dubois to a knockout victory over Anthony Joshua.
Although he added: “For me, I guess you can take away a little bit from the sparring, but when you get the crowd involved, the 10-ounce gloves, it’s a whole different story. I get away from it a little bit.”
His trainer Ben Davison, who previously worked with Fury and currently with Joshua, believes Itauma has all the tools to leave a legacy in the sport.
“There are always buts, and maybe there are a lot of things to do along the way,” Davison said. Sky Sports.
“It’s hard to get there, it’s harder to stay there, it’s also very important to keep his mind on the right track, stay focused and stay focused.
“But if he does the right things, I think a potentially historic career is on the rise.”
