Tyson Fury has previously talked up Moses Itauma as the future of the heavyweight division and has now predicted his fight with Dillian Whyte.
Itauma has shown great potential for a young fighter. He is just 20 years old and only turned pro a little over two years ago, when he was potentially set to target of breaking Mike Tyson‘s record and becoming the youngest heavyweight world champion of all time. Although that didn’t happen, he has already stopped 10 of his 12 opponents so far, including the likes of Demsey McKean and Mariusz Wach, both of whom were knocked out inside the first three rounds.
This weekend he takes on former world title challenger Whyte, a notoriously tough and rugged heavyweight who has fought at the top level, though has been rather inactive in the last couple of years with only two fights since the end of 2022.
Speaking to The Stomping Ground, ‘The Gypsy King’ – who stopped Whyte inside six rounds back in 2022 – expressed his intrigue in the match-up after hearing his former foe is leaving no stone unturned in the gym.
“Yeah, that’s a fu**ing good fight actually, especially for Moses. I think it’s a very good time to fight Dillian, he’s had a couple of years out of the ring. But make no mistakes, Dillian is a massive puncher to head and body, I know he’s taking it very serious. I was speaking to Ty Mitchell who’s in training camp with him.
“It’s a massive step up for Moses, he hasn’t really fought anyone on Dillian’s level, the old Dillian of a couple of years ago. It’s going to be interesting to see how much Dillian has left. I think this does have the potential to do what Martin Bakole did to Jared Anderson, maybe it’s too early and maybe he passes with flying colours, and that’s why you have to watch it and find out.”
He then gave Itauma credit for his ability to learn – echoing past statements that he is the future of the division.
“One thing I will say about Moses is he’s a very good fighter, lovely boxer and a good kid, he’s like a sponge, you tell him something and he absorbs it, he listens.”
A win for Whyte, who is looking in great shape, would likely give him one last route to a world title shot before his career comes to an end, while a win for Itauma very much takes him to the next level and a championship charge of his own.
