Moses Itauma has the potential for a ‘historic career’ | ‘I would 100 percent accept Daniel Dubois in the fight for the world title’ | Boxing news
Moses Itauma has only just turned 20, but he is already one of the most feared prospects in the heavyweight division.
Demsey McKean was a world contender who had only lost once prior to meeting Itauma, and that loss came against Filip Hrgovic who was the mandatory challenger for the IBF title at the time.
McKean held on in the 12th round with Hrgovic, but failed to get through the first with Itauma.
The young Brit tore through McKean, his feints and hand speed too much for the Aussie as he finished McKean with a devastating left hook to the arc before they even reached two minutes into the fight on Oleksandr Usyk-Tyson’s undercard. Fury rematch.
Itauma is keen to maintain his rapid progress and would welcome a world title fight with IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois.
“If the fight was presented to me, I would take it, 100 percent,” Itauma said Sky Sports.
However, he believes that as he moves up the ranks, he will likely have to wait 12 months or more for a shot at a world title, noting: “From now on you have to be in a position to fight for the belts.”
“I actually asked Ben [Davison, his trainer] about this,” he revealed. “If the opportunity presented itself and we were fighting for a world title in the next year and a half, two years, would you take it? He said, ‘yes, of course’. I needed to know that we were all on the same page here.”
Itauma also believes it is unlikely he will face Oleksandr Usyk or Tyson Fury, both of whom are more than 16 years his senior.
“I don’t think the fight would make sense for anybody, but you never know. The world could change in a year and I might be in a position for those fights. But I wouldn’t really know,” he said.
“Tyson, Usyk and Joshua had three completely different journeys and they all achieved the same thing, heavyweight champion of the world. You have to take your hat off to all of them and just admire them, and then take everything from each of them and then put it into one. That’s exactly what I’m trying to do.
“A few years ago I wouldn’t have been able to be in this position if it wasn’t for those guys who paved the way. Anthony Joshua, he was the first guy to break through the British boxing scene again. I just have to be grateful.
“I kind of admire all the top guys. But I’m also here to set my own path.”
Although he only celebrated his 20th birthday on December 28, Itauma has long been ahead of his time.
While still a schoolboy, he sparred with world champions such as Lawrence Okolie and Anthony Joshua, raising eyebrows when he arrived at elite gyms in his school uniform only to display boxing skills far beyond his years.
After passing his GCSEs, he went straight to sparring Joe Joyce, the Olympic silver medalist who would go on to win the interim WBO heavyweight title.
“Everybody looked at each other like this kid is working in the ring with him. But when the bell rang, it was a whole different story,” Itauma recalled.
Although he added: “For me, I guess you can take a little bit from sparring, but when you get the crowd involved, 10-ounce gloves, no headgear, it’s a whole different story. I take a little bit from but not a lot.”
His trainer Ben Davison, who previously worked with Fury and currently with Joshua, is confident that Itauma has all the tools to leave a legacy in the sport.
“There’s always a but, and maybe, there’s a lot of things to do along the way,” Davison said Sky Sports.
“Getting there is hard, staying there is even harder. Keeping your mind on track, staying focused and keeping the main thing in mind is also very important.
“But if he does the right things, I think there’s a potential historic career on the rise.”
