Who Is Moses Itauma, The Prospect Tipped As The Future Of British Heavyweight Boxing?
Moses Itauma continues his prodigious boxing career on Saturday when the heavyweight prospect contests his 10th professional bout at the O2 Arena in London, England.
Itauma (9-0-0 7 KO) will fight Polish veteran Mariusz Wach (38-10-0 20 KO) on the undercard of the British heavyweight bout between Joe Joyce and Derek Chisora in the first defense of his WBO intercontinental title.
The Slovakia-born British fighter is one of the most exciting youngsters in boxing and has received widespread praise from influential figures within the sport, who believe he is a future heavyweight world champion.
Still only 19 years old, Itauma has his entire career in front of him and is steadily climbing the heavyweight rankings.
So, ahead of his next challenge and with a bright future ahead of him, here is everything you need to know about the ‘Kent Killer’.
Boxing Career Of Itauma
Born in Slovakia to a Nigerian father and Slovakian mother, Itauma, whose brother Karol is also a professional boxer in the light-heavyweight division, began boxing at an early age and has enjoyed lightning-fast progress, first as an amateur and now as a professional.
Itauma had a perfect amateur career; he won all 24 of his bouts, including 11 by knockout, and won most available titles to a British junior. He claimed gold at the Schools, Juniors, and European Championships, before the pinnacle achievement of taking Youth World gold in 2022.
After signing promotional terms with Frank Warren’s Queensberry, Itauma turned pro in January 2023 and stopped Marcel Bode in 23 seconds on the undercard of Artur Beterbiev’s bout against Anthony Yarde at Wembley Arena.
Another seven victories followed – including five by first-round knockout – before Itauma fought for his first title. He stopped Ilja Mezencev in the second round on the undercard of the undisputed heavyweight bout between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury to claim the WBO intercontinental title.
Itauma will make the first defense of the title on Saturday against Wach.
What Is Itauma’s Boxing Style?
At this early stage of his career and given the generally low level of opposition so far, it’s difficult to fully assess Itauma’s strengths and weaknesses, although it’s clear he possesses power and speed.
The southpaw has detonated his forceful left hand on numerous occasions and it’s an obvious weapon, but he also has blistering hand speed for a heavyweight.
Itauma has shown to have great balance and footwork, which has allowed him to control the ring and the distance between himself and his opponents.
It will be interesting to see how his power translates when he faces tougher and more skilled rivals; at 6ft 2in, Itauma is among the smaller-sized heavyweights so he will need to rely on his power and speed when he faces a size and reach disadvantage against bigger and higher-level fighters.
How Good Can Itauma Be?
Praise for the teenager has been high, with former lineal and unified heavyweight world champion Fury believing he can be the future of the division.
“I think he’s a good kid,” said Fury. “I have said in the past that I think he can be a champion and like I said about [American contender] Jared Anderson, I think Jared and Moses are both very, very good fighters.
“They’re only starting off a career and if they can stay on the right path and away from the idiots, away from the women, away from the drunken nights, away from the cranks, then I believe both of them can go on and win world titles.”
Itauma’s promoter Warren is also a big fan, saying the young heavyweight is a generational talent.
“World Junior heavyweight champion. World junior European championship. Knocked everyone out in the first round. He is the best young heavyweight prospect for years,” the Queensberry boss said. “The problem is finding someone to take his punches.”
What’s Next For Itauma?
After Saturday’s bout with Wach, which he’s expected to comfortably win, Itauma will be expected to return to the ring at least a couple more times this year. He fought seven times in 2023, and at this early stage of his career, he needs to stay active and keep learning.
Saturday’s fight will be only his second 10-rounder so getting rounds under his belt and facing gradually improving opponents over the next 12 months will be important.
Warren said after Itauma’s last win over Mezencev that they will resist the temptation to rush his progress – “we want to take it step by step” – so the possibility of British or Commonwealth title bouts will be shelved for now.
However, at only 19 years old, Itauma has plenty of time on his side, and as a regular in Fury’s training camps, he is learning from the best. For now, fans can enjoy the journey and the many knockouts it will contain.
