Moses Itauma is heading for huge things in boxing’s heavyweight division, but the road to the top is fraught with danger.
The very nature of the sport at this level means the trajectory of a career can change literally in a split second with one punch or momentary lapse in concentration. It’s intoxicating jeopardy – no wonder the fans love it so much.
Nothing gets the boxing public more excited than a proper heavyweight prospect, and the 20-year-old Itauma is the best we’ve seen in a long, long time. Maybe even dating back to the Mike Tyson days of the late 1980s.
Before he can rule the heavyweight division, Itauma must navigate his way to the top, and there will be significant dangers to overcome along the way. One man who is acutely aware of that is boxing icon Roy Jones Jr.
Jones was himself box office back in the day as he ruled in several weight classes – including heavyweight – and he knows the importance of planning a career path.
Roy Jones Jr on Itauma
He told Ring magazine: “Itauma is the truth, but you have to move him at a pace and get him there.”
Itauma is absolutely being moved right now, his showdown with Dillian Whyte this Saturday night is the first major test he has faced against an elite fighter. Remember Whyte was the WBC interim king and challenging for Tyson Fury’s title just three years ago.
But Roy believes there is a very fine line between ‘at a pace’ and ‘the right pace’, and he used a recent boxing tale to back up his point. That would be American heavyweight prospect Jared Anderson.
Anderson looked absolutely brilliant in steamrollering his way through his first 17 pro fights – unbeaten of course and with 15 by way of KO. But then, last August, he moved up in class and was derailed by the man mountain that is Martin Bakole in a shocker in Los Angeles.
Jones Jr said: “Itauma can be thrown into the fire, but you don’t want to throw him into the inferno. Usyk is the inferno right now. You can’t just throw him into the wolves too early. Look what happened to Jared Anderson when they threw him in too fast.”
When is Itauma vs Whyte?
The fight takes place Saturday night (August 16) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Ring walks for the main event are not expected to start before 10pm UK time (5pm Eastern or 2pm Pacific).
If you want to watch it live, the bout will be streamed live globally by DAZN PPV with a price point of £19.99 in the UK or $49.99 in the US.
READ MORE
- Boxing hit by double tragedy as two fighters die after the same show
- Heavyweight rankings – the world’s top 10 right now
- Moses Itauma given ‘disaster’ warning as Turki Alalshikh pitches superfight
- Ben Davison makes one ‘significant’ point about the Moses Itauma hype
- Heavyweight rankings – the definitive list with every sanctioning body
- P4P rankings – the top 10 fighters in boxing in August 2025
