Itauma battles Whyte in Riyadh News

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Itauma battles Whyte in Riyadh

By Daily Sports Nigeria on August 16, 2025

Rising British-Nigerian heavyweight Moses Itauma will battle veteran Dillian Whyte at the ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday (today), with victory potentially catapulting the 20-year-old undefeated southpaw towards a world title shot.

The highly-rated Itauma, who boasts 10 knockouts from 12 professional wins, faces his biggest test against the 37-year-old Whyte, a former WBC interim champion who has shared the ring with Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Joseph Parker.

Saturday’s encounter marks the first time Itauma will headline a professional card, presenting the perfect platform for the young boxer to prove whether the hype surrounding his meteoric rise is justified.

“Everyone needs a breakthrough fight. AJ had it with Charles Martin, Tyson Fury had it with Deontay Wilder, so I guess this is my breakthrough fight,” Itauma told BBC Sport.

The Londoner, who once famously claimed he wanted to beat Mike Tyson’s record as the youngest heavyweight champion, has exceeded what fellow Britons Fury, Joshua and Daniel Dubois achieved at the same stage of their careers.

All three enjoyed undefeated starts, but Dubois was 21 when he won his 12th fight, Fury was 22, and Joshua was 25 – underlining Itauma’s rapid progression.

Boxing coach Dave Coldwell, who trained world champion Tony Bellew, believes Itauma stands apart from other highly-rated prospects.

“I don’t get too excited about prospects because over the years we’ve seen so many prospects we say will be the new phase of boxing or the next superstar,” Coldwell told BBC Sport.

“I’m actually excited about him. I think that the hype is justified on his terms.”

Itauma burst onto the scene with a 23-second knockout in his 2023 debut and has gone beyond the second round on just two occasions, having boxed only 25 rounds across his 12 professional fights.

The undefeated fighter acknowledges his previous dreams of taking Tyson’s record were naive, but he remains focused on his ultimate goal.

“Usyk would be good, but I think Joseph Parker or Agit Kabayel probably deserve it,” Itauma said.

“But who deserves anything? You get what you negotiate, not what you deserve.”

Victory against Whyte would represent a significant step towards possible fights with WBO interim champion Parker or even undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk, as Itauma looks to establish himself among the heavyweight elite.

Source Punch Ng

Posted August 16, 2025