British heavyweight phenom Moses Itauma is reportedly finalising a deal for a huge showdown vs Dillian Whyte.
The 20-year-old Itauma has been quite sensational in building a 12-0 pro record, with 10 of those wins coming inside the first two rounds.
While the youngester from Chatham in Kent is already ranked #1 by the World Boxing Organization (WBO) in their latest top 15, he has still yet to meet a truly elite level heavyweight. A showdown with the former world title challenger Whyte would change all that.
According to Mike Coppinger of Ring magazine, Itauma is set to lock horns with ‘The Body Snatcher’ in Riyadh on August 16, headlining a card surrounding the Esports World Cup.
The 37-year-old Whyte (31-3) remains a big threat to most heavyweights, though he has been relatively inactive since losing to Tyson Fury in his challenge for the WBC heavyweight title at Wembley in April 2022. His only pro defeats have come against Fury, Anthony Joshua and Russian star Alexander Povetkin.
Itauma an incredible talent
All the talk following Itauma’s most recent fight – a two-round demolition job on American Mike Balogun in Glasgow last month – was about how his promoters could get him more rounds. Not easy to find opponents for such a precocious talent.
Names such as Swede Otto Wallin and American Jermaine Franklin were mentioned with Itauma apparently set to figure on the undercard of that Oleksandr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois 2 heavyweight title unification blockbuster at Wembley on July 19. That plan appears to have now changed though, with a showdown with Whyte absolutely sure to produce a ton of excitement.
Dillian had been set to appear on tonight’s (Saturday) big Fabio Wardley vs Justis Huni show in Ipswich, but promoter Frank Warren revealed earlier this week that he would instead be looking towards a ‘big big fight’ in August.
If Coppinger’s report is on the money (it usually is) we now know who that fight is likely to be – an absolutely cracking all-British blockbuster.
