Shortly earlier than he improved to 10 fights unbeaten, scoring knockout quantity eight by shelling Mariusz Wach in two rounds, Moses Itauma mentioned his profession prospects and lofty aspirations with Shaun Brown.
BUSINESS is booming within the heavyweight division and there has by no means been a greater time to be part of it.
It’s much more helpful you probably have joined throughout the embryonic stage of your profession and are that includes on a few of the greatest playing cards boxing followers have seen in fairly a while.
Moses Itauma is taken into account by many to be the person who will probably be king in the future and those self same voices consider it’s not a case of if however extra possible when he’ll take the throne. The 19-year-old Slovakian-born Brit stopped German Ilja Mezencev final day out because the Itauma hype prepare made its second cease in Saudi Arabia, the place the place high heavyweights are incomes nicely however having to repeatedly show themselves, a lot to the delight of everybody who loves boxing.
Itauma vs Mezencev discovered a spot on the 10-fight ‘Ring of Hearth’ card final month on the Kingdom Area in Riyadh, topped by Oleksandr Usyk’s gorgeous victory over Tyson Fury.
“What a man Usyk is,” Itauma instructed Boxing Information, having watched the good Ukrainian at shut hand throughout his triumph in Riyadh.
“I had goosebumps the entire struggle. I used to be like, ‘That is gonna be me quickly.’ I used to be watching it as a fan however I simply knew that ultimately I’ll be up there as nicely. I had a bit of little bit of a tingly feeling.
“Are you aware what’s mad? Once I was watching it… [coach] Lee Wylie thought Usyk was gonna win and he was saying [it’s] due to this fashion and, as I used to be watching, I used to be like, ‘He’s doing every part Lee mentioned he was gonna do.’
“Usyk, you must take your hat off to him. What a man. He’s achieved every part you possibly can within the sport and two occasions over from cruiserweight and the heavyweight division.”
Lee Wylie is now a part of Group Itauma and an integral a part of Ben Davison’s coaching corps, the place the heavyweight hopeful now hones his craft inside a secure which options two-time world featherweight champion Leigh Wooden and twice unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua. Wylie is well-known for his learning of fights and his capability to interrupt the motion down clip-by-clip, frame-by-frame and transferring his revered evaluation on to Davison, Wooden, Joshua and now Itauma.
“I by no means studied as a lot as Lee Wylie did,” Itauma mentioned praising his new group member. “It’s loopy, it’s loopy. He’s bought like an infinite quantity of movies, clips and proof. I used to be like, ‘What… you shouldn’t have the ability to know all of this.’”
Itauma had been working with Sheffield-based coach Alan Smith however has now positioned his improvement into the arms of Ben Davison – who as soon as skilled Tyson Fury and now Joshua. A coach who arguably didn’t obtain the plaudits he deserved initially however is now recognised as one of many world’s finest cornermen. So, why did Itauma – who might have gone wherever within the UK or America – select Davison?
“If I instructed you I’d be right here for 3 or 4 days,” he replied. “I used to be with Al Smith on the time and I didn’t know what to maneuver or the place to maneuver or if I ought to do it or not. I actually sat down and talked about it for – like I mentioned – three or 4 days. I needed to make a transfer and selected to go together with Ben.”
“Every little thing was calculated,” he added. “Every little thing’s studied. Perhaps that’s what some coaches don’t do.”
Itauma’s training has its fair proportion of academics to hearken to. From promoter Frank Warren to supervisor Francis Warren to Moses’ 23-year-old older brother and light-heavyweight prospect Karol, who hit a bump in his personal development when he suffered a shock knockout loss to Ezequiel Osvaldo Maderna in January 2023.
However in terms of studying concerning the sport inside and outdoors the ring, he would do lots worse than converse to Tyson Fury. The previous heavyweight king selected Itauma to affix him for his preparation to face Usyk and sparred rounds with the precocious expertise however the teenager instructed BN he realized about excess of simply boxing.
“That was good,” he recalled of his time with Fury. I feel I realized extra from exterior the ring than I did in, like what he was telling me to do with my cash and even with media and sparring basically. I realized much more exterior the ring. Clearly, I realized some issues contained in the ring however much more exterior.”
The media? Properly, as he was chatting with BN we requested what Fury needed to say about that aspect of the game. “I don’t wish to say nothing,” he joked.
Itauma can have his 10th struggle on July 27 on the O2 Area in London the place heavyweight warhorses Joe Joyce and Derek Chisora will struggle for lots extra than simply victory. It stays to be seen who Itauma will face on the undercard and whether or not or not he will probably be within the ring for greater than the 230 seconds required final day out. [Ed – Itauma defeated Mariusz Wach in two rounds].
One potential struggle for the longer term might come in opposition to present English champion Solomon Dacres, who joined Itauma below the Queensberry Promotions banner final 12 months. The 30-year-old is scheduled to make the maiden defence of his title in opposition to David Adeleye, one other of Frank Warren’s younger heavyweights, on July 20. Itauma will possible have a watch on preventing the winner however…
“That’s if Solomon or David wish to struggle,” he mentioned. “I’ll fortunately struggle them for any title but it surely’s in the event that they wanna struggle.”
Solomon Dacres (Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing)
Itauma is considerably pissed off at not having the ability to get guys the calibre of Dacres within the ring with him. “I get the blame for not preventing good opponents when the nice opponents don’t wanna struggle me,” he mentioned.
“I’m a lose-lose reward… as a result of I’m such a younger fighter coming by. In the event that they beat me they’re like, ‘Oh, that’s speculated to occur he’s solely a teenager.’ And, if I beat them, they’ll’t actually come again from that. So, I perceive why they wouldn’t struggle me but it surely’s undoubtedly irritating for me.”
After his struggle on July 27, Itauma will possible field two and even three extra occasions earlier than the 12 months is out. And, within the closing 10 days of 2024, not solely will he rejoice his 20th birthday (on December 28) however we may even uncover whether or not Fury can get his revenge on Usyk with their rematch pencilled in for December 21 again in Riyadh.
Fury first turned world heavyweight champion on the age of 27, bamboozling Wladimir Klitschko in Germany 9 years in the past to take dwelling three titles. Usyk, who conquered all who got here earlier than him at cruiserweight to grow to be undisputed champion at 200lbs, did one thing just like Anthony Joshua of their first struggle three years in the past at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium which ended with the Ukrainian turning into unified champion.
Itauma initially set himself a goal of turning into a world champion earlier than he was 20 and 4 months. The identical age that Mike Tyson beat the 30-year document held by Floyd Patterson (21 years, 10 months) to grow to be the youngest ever heavyweight champion when he blitzed Trevor Berbick on November 22, 1986, on the Hilton Resort, Las Vegas.
If Itauma is to take that accolade away from ‘Iron’ Mike then he can have to take action earlier than April 28, 2025. Nonetheless, it now seems as if that ambition is fading thanks, partly, to what he’s studying concerning the sport.
“My subsequent struggle’s my most necessary struggle,” he mentioned. “Once I turned professional, I used to be unaware that there was plenty of issues I can’t management. For me to beat that document, there’s plenty of issues what I can’t management [which] must be managed and I’m not able to try this. What I’m doing is getting within the ring and preventing and I’m doing that to one of the best of my capability and if it comes, it comes, if it don’t, it don’t.”
