It’s the assignment that many heavyweights would not want – meeting Moses Itauma in centre ring – but Dillian Whyte never had a doubt.
On Saturday week (August 16) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia the 37-year-old Whyte will bid to roll back the years when he faces the most exciting young star in the sport.
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Itauma maybe still be just 20 years of age but he is widely acclaimed as a world heavyweight champion in waiting – already ranked number 1 by the WBO and already 12-0 as a pro with 10 wins inside the first two rounds.
Whyte though was desperate to take on this daunting challenge – so much so that he did so without even knowing what he would be paid.
Dillian had zero doubts
Speaking to Ring magazine, he said: “I took it right away. Even without knowing how much they’re paying me or when the fight was, I took it right away.”
Whyte (31-3), who was himself a world title challenger three short years ago, will start a 7/1 underdog against the heavy favourite Itauma. And he knows the narrative here – it’s a big stepping stone matchup for Moses, a test to see if he really can live with the elite.
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“Listen, they’re trying to feed me to the wolves. They’re trying to feed me to the wolf and, um, make me get torn apart by the pack. But what you don’t understand is, I’ve been an alpha male. I’ve been at the bottom of the pack, I’ve been at the middle of the pack, I’ve been at the top of the pack. You know, I may be an older wolf, but, s***, I still got f***ing teeth, man. I still got teeth, and I got two metal ones, too. They last long, you know?
“I got teeth, and I’ll bite the f*** out of someone, you know? Don’t, don’t play me, I’ll, I’ll f*** someone up, you know what I mean?
How to watch Itauma vs Whyte
The big fight takes place in Riyadh on Saturday August 16, and ring walks for the main event are not expected to take place before 10pm UK time (5pm Eastern, 2pm Pacific). The fight will be streamed live on DAZN PPV and the price to watch is £19.99 in the UK.
