Moses Itauma is back in action on Friday night – just weeks after impressing in front of a star-studded crowd in Riyadh.
The 18-year-old from Chatham has set a target to become the youngest-ever world heavyweight champion.
His last knockout display, inside two minutes, came on the Tyson Fury versus Francis Ngannou undercard. Prior to that fight he had a brief meeting with Mike Tyson – the man whose record he wants to beat.
Tyson, part of the Ngannou training camp, was happy to offer some advice.
Having been told by Itauma that: “I want eight quality fights this year and next year – and not eight bums!” Iron Mike replied: “Anything can happen. There are no bums in boxing, you can learn from every fight, especially the ones you lose. It’s hard work!”
Ambitious teenager Itauma – who is signed for Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions, trains out of Dan Woledge’s Ropes and Glory gym in Chatham gym and only turned pro at the start of this year – scored a first-round knockout to defeat Istvan Bernath, taking his record to 6-0, with four inside the distance.
Following that last fight, Itauma said: “Shoot me to the stars – that’s where I belong.
“The power is there. Frank (Warren) said I have to let my hands go and that’s what I did!
“This is only going to get better – get your popcorn!”
Bernath had a decent record himself, 10 wins and one defeat prior to meeting Itauma, but had no answer to the power and accuracy of the Medway boxer, seen off with a devastating jab.
Warren said: “He’s very ambitious, he says he wants to win a world title in record time but you have to learn your craft and we have to make the right matches, pick the right fighters for him to fight at the right time.
“It’s all about timing but he’s doing a fabulous job, he’s got a good boxing brain, fast hands and he’s a ferocious puncher.”
‘Iron Mike’ Tyson became WBC heavyweight champion aged 20 years, four months and 22 days in 1986 when he knocked out the defending Trevor Berbick.
Itauma, with May 2025 as the target date to beat the record, is back fighting in the UK this Friday at York Hall, Bethnal Green – the first time he’s fought as a professional at the home of British boxing.
The show, live on TNT Sports, is headlined by Gwynne v Marsili for the EBU European lightweight crown and includes the fight between Maidstone’s Sam Noakes (11-0) and Carlos Perez for the WBC international silver lightweight title.
