The hype about British heavyweight sensation Moses Itauma is very real, and trainer Ben Davison is absolutely feeling it.
The brilliant 20-year-old phenom from Chatham in Kent is the most exciting thing in boxing right now as he rampages through the division towards a potential world title shot.
Itauma is now 12-0 as a pro as he heads towards a pivotal showdown vs former world title challenger Dillian Whyte in Riyadh on August 16. It’s the first time Itauma has faced an opponent of this level, and the first time he has headlined a major bill.
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The hype is literally off the charts right now, with Saudi power broker Turki Alalshikh even claiming that Itauma vs current heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk is the fight that boxing wants and needs.
Davison believes the way people view Itauma, and speak about him, says much ahead of that big dance with Dillian in Saudi.
Ben Davison on Itauma hype
Speaking on a camp video filmed by DAZN (which will stream the Whyte fight), he said: “I think what’s, what’s quite significant to me is when people – a lot of the time, a lot of the general public – the expectations are almost like it’s a two or three-round job for Moses. And my opinion is, if there was any other heavyweight in the world boxing Dillian Whyte, they wouldn’t say it’s a two-three-round job.
“So I think that just tells you how highly people think of, of Moses. But we’ve got the ultimate respect for Dillian – got to prepare diligently, and expecting a tough fight.”
Davison has been working with Itauma for four fights now, dating back to May 2024, and all four of them have been highlight-reel demolition jobs. Moses has now knocked out 10 of his 12 opponents in the first two rounds. The trainer knows the attributes he wants from a boxer, and he believes this precocious talent has them all.
“The formula that you’re looking for when working with a fighter – obviously you want them to have some natural talent. Always helps. But more importantly than that, you want someone that’s hardworking, enjoys what they do, resilience – mental and physical.
“I would say those are the main things, and we believe that, that he’s got all of those, all of those skills.”
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