Who Is Moses Itauma and What Comes Next?

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Until relatively recently few beyond a hardcore of boxing fans had heard of Moses Itauma. Even now, he is far from a household name but if he is anywhere near as good as many believe him to be, that is all set to change, and do so quickly.

The heavyweight boxer was born in Slovakia, to a Slovak mother and Nigerian father. However, he moved to England at the age of four and fights as a Brit. He is still just 20 years old but has been touted as a future world champion for several years now. He had initially held a dream to become the youngest heavyweight champion of the world of all time, but that record is held by a certain Mike Tyson. Iron Mike claimed the biggest prize in sport aged 20 years, four months and 22 days, while Itauma will turn 21 at the end of the year.

He accepted some time ago that bettering Tyson’s early rise would not be possible and it really illustrates just how incredible the “Baddest Man on the Planet” was at such a young age. However, there are other ways in which Itauma can still emulate Tyson and perhaps even better him.

Early Years


More casual boxing fans will only have had Itauma on their radar for his last few fights but those in the know followed his impressive unbeaten amateur career closely. A decent footballer, he began boxing at the age of nine, but was initially unsure about it. However, it soon became clear where his real talents lay, and he followed in the footsteps of older brother Karol. Karol, aged 24, is also a pro, at light-heavyweight, and boasts 13 wins and one defeat, but he is not at the level of his younger sibling, who excelled almost immediately upon taking up boxing.

Early Start

The man that friends and family call Enriko, for reasons that are not entirely clear, had what is, to date, the worst result of his entire boxing career, just a couple of years after he started boxing. Aged 11, he won the fight, but by split decision. He has won every formal fight he has ever taken on – and we rather suspect every informal one too – as both an amateur and a pro, with many of those victories coming by knockout.

He never fought at amateur level as an adult, turning pro at 18. However, as a child he swept all before him in every age group. He trained under Dan Woledge right from the off, and gives his first trainer a huge amount of credit for shaping him. Woledge encouraged him to watch other fighters and build something of each into his own style and technique.

Itauma’s Heroes

His somewhat unorthodox method came about naturally, and as a result of this tutelage. He said that the first time he went to his first club, St Mary’s ABC, “The first two punches I threw was a one-two in southpaw. So even though I’m right-handed they said that’s my stance.” He went on to namecheck some of his heroes, noting that “People don’t realise Mike Tyson was a left-handed orthodox, so was Andre Ward. Lomachenko is a right-handed southpaw, so was Bruce Lee.”

To that diverse mix of fighters he adds Prince Naseem Hamed, saying that the iconic Sheffield pugilist was one of his favourite boxers. He noted that while his style was different, he did “try to implement some of the things he used to do”.

Record So Far

However, he was equally keen to stress that he was his own man and didn’t want to be Tyson, a southpaw Muhammad Ali or anyone else. He clearly has a long way to go before comparisons with any such greats are truly merited, but his record so far suggests it is only a matter of time.

He won various youth and amateur championships and medals in a career which brought 24 wins out of 24. 11 of those wins were KOs, unusual in the amateur game and an indication of his raw ability, power and the way his style allows him to get his shots off.

Pro Career a Breeze Thus Far


Upon turning pro in January 2023 he promptly delivered his first win in a mere 23 seconds. That, and his amateur career, caused one respected boxing publication to note that he was the “best teenage heavyweight” and, indeed, perhaps the “most promising teenager in the sport, full stop.”

12 further fights in the paid ranks have only served to enhance that already impressive reputation. 13 fights, 13 wins, 11 knockouts, with two points decisions early in his career and in fights lasting just six rounds. Those two contests are the only time he has been taken beyond the second round and he has already collected the Commonwealth title, along with various other minor belts.

It was his recent destruction of Dillian Whyte which really got tongues wagging though and brought him into the wider public consciousness. In less than two minutes he put away a man who took Tyson Fury to six rounds and has beaten Jospeh Parker, Derek Chisora, Alexander Povetkin and some other very decent fighters.

What Next?


Where Itauma goes from here is a matter for debate and it is easy to forget how young he is. He has a great frame for a heavyweight boxer, standing at over 6ft 4in tall. He weighed in at just over 17 stone for his one-sided clash with the Bodysnatcher and blends power, speed and movement brilliantly.

Inevitably there are calls for him to take on a really big fight next. After beating Whyte, who at 37 is clearly past his best (though of course Oleksandr Usyk is 38!), the Brit said “I will fight anyone they put in front of me”.

He recognised that many fans would love to see him jump straight into a fight with Usyk but added a note of caution. He said that his team felt he needed more experience and he himself said that “I don’t want to call out Usyk because I don’t believe I deserve the opportunity”, saying he was keen to fight people just below that level, “So maybe Agit Kabayel, maybe Joseph Parker. Maybe them type of names.”

Another note of caution came from Ricky Hatton, who was understandably impressed by Itauma against Whyte but noted “They’re talking about Usyk next, woah, let’s just hold fire there just a little bit.” Usyk is an incredibly intelligent boxer and it would be a massive step for such an inexperienced fighter to go up against him, no matter how much talent the young pretender has.

Hatton suggested Fabio Wardley could be a good next fight and we are inclined to agree. No matter who the youngster goes up against next, it is sure to be box office and we can’t wait to see his progression.