Moses Itauma frustrated by failing to beat legendary boxing record

Moses Itauma is confident can join the pantheon of boxing greats by winning a world heavyweight title within the next four years.

The highly-rated 20-year-old faces Dillian Whyte in Saudi Arabia tonight for the latest instalment of heavyweight classics under the Riyadh Season banner live on DAZN PPV.

Itauma has amassed 12 straight victories so far, including 10 by knockout, and earned favourable comparisons with a young Mike Tyson.

Claiming his first belt at 20 years, four months and 22 days old, boxing legend Tyson holds the record as the youngest fighter ever to win a heavyweight title.

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Itauma has not been able to beat Tyson’s record but, as he prepares to face Whyte on Saturday night, he believes he remains on track to reach the top and is not worried about how long it takes to get there.

In an exclusive interview with DAZN, the Slovakia-born fighter said: “I don’t really mind.

“I remember looking at the five youngest heavyweight champions of all time and they were from 20 to 24 years of age.

“It went from Mike Tyson to Floyd Patterson to Muhammad Ali to George Foreman… and there were all these names.

“The last person happened to be someone like George Foreman and he was 24 years old.

“I believe that I can win a world title in four years and, if I’m amongst those names, it’s still a great achievement.”

 

Although he failed to beat Tyson’s all-time record, Itauma remains unfazed.

He explained: “When I said I wanted to beat Mike Tyson’s record, I knew within the first two or three months of turning professional that that’s not down to me.

“That is just not down to me. That is down to my promoters, my team and the boxing world.

“Even sometimes, it’s down to the fans because if the fans want to see a fight then normally the fight does happen.

“But subconsciously, I said to myself that ‘I’m going to aim to achieve this’ and if I don’t achieve it I want to be somewhere in and amongst that mix.

“Now look at where we are – I’m boxing Dillian Whyte at the same age I thought I was going to break the Mike Tyson record.

“I didn’t beat it, but it’s brought me to this position I’m in now.

“I’ve always wanted to be a boxer and the lifestyle that comes with it.”

Watch Itauma vs Whyte live on DAZN

Moses Itauma vs Dillian Whyte is live and exclusive on DAZN PPV this Saturday, August 16. Watch the PPV for free by purchasing a DAZN annual subscription (exc. US).

More information, pricing and to buy  click here.