Moses Itauma - Patience is required with boxing's next superstar

To whom it may concern,

This is an open letter to boxing fans. I'm writing this letter as a fight fan to ask for everyone to calm down ever so slightly when it comes to Moses Itauma.

I first heard about ‘Enriko’ from John Stubbs, a former England amateur boxing coach I am friendly with. Itauma was a teenager at the time and still a good few years away from turning pro but Stubbs – who has been around the sport for most of his life – could not believe the raw talent and ability that this young kid from Chatham possessed.

Leigh Dawney/Queensberry

There was the story about him landing at a gym in North London in his school uniform to spar Joe Joyce (that’s 2016 Olympic super-heavyweight silver medallist Joe Joyce by the way), another story about him putting in serious work while sparring with Lawrence Okolie age 15 when Okolie was preparing for a world title fight and various stories about him outclassing people in international junior amateur tournaments while still a raw novice.

Gnarled boxing insiders were raving about this kid – and his ability – long before he turned pro. On Saturday night in Saudi Arabia, he passed the biggest test of his career with flying colours when he stopped Dillian Whyte inside a round when topping his first DAZN PPV bill.

It was a statement performance from a young man blessed with power, punch accuracy and the speed of a middleweight. Whyte tried some mind games before the first bell, making Itauma wait in the ring for more than six minutes before joining him. But they were to no avail. If Itauma was nervous, it never showed. Ultimately the young lion was too strong for the old lion, as Itauma dominated from the start.

Whyte - a former WBC interim heavyweight champion - had looked in great shape during fight week but was not given any time to settle as Itauma blitzed him with a flurry of early jabs and combinations. The 37-year-old took a couple of heavy shots to the top of the head as he sagged against the ropes and a devastating short right hook sent Whyte crashing to the floor with not even two minutes on the clock. Although ‘The Bodysnatcher’ bravely made it back on to his feet, the referee correctly stepped in to wave off the contest with just over a minute left of the first round.

It was a devastating display from the young heavyweight prodigy, but we need to proceed with caution. While Saturday was in hindsight genius matchmaking from Frank Warren, the win does not necessarily prove that Itauma is suddenly ready for Oleksandr Usyk.

One bad move in the heavyweight division can cost you your career. And for some perspective, Saturday’s first round win against Whyte was only the 26th round of Itauma’s pro career, a journey that started in 2023.

Can Moses take a punch? Can he tough it out when things get difficult? These questions still need answers, and we might not get them for a while as he is so good. His hand speed is an absolute joke. Ring Magazine's Prospect of the Year for 2024 also has exceptional footwork too. He's not a static target. The humble Chatman prospect knows when to plant his feet and when to move. The angles he creates are insane and there is a nonchalance about the way he goes about his work that suggests he could be ready for anyone in the world right now not called Usyk.

There is no rush

Jospeh Parker and Agit Kabayel might be on his radar after Saturday. Those fights are risky – and perhaps not worth the risk at this point with career longevity in mind – but that’s not to say Itauma is not ready for them.

The truth is, there is no rush. Whyte was the first world class opponent Itauma has beaten as a pro. Dillian was also 37 and had shown signs of wear and tear in his last few fights. When Whyte turned pro in 2011 young Moses was six, chasing candy bars and kites and not WBC, WBA, IBF or WBO gold.

Life comes at you fast. In 2019 Itauma revealed he directed messaged Whyte on Instagram looking for work / sparring. His communications went unanswered at the time. Whyte got the message on Saturday alright. Fighting on a savvy combination of balls, strategy and memory, Whyte was sadly no match for the brilliant youngster with lightening in his hands who was stood in front of him.

Let’s not be in a rush to match him with Usyk, though. Logically, Usyk is only going to get older. Itauma is only going to get better. 

There is a feeling of inevitability about Itauma’s rise through the heavyweight rankings. In gambling parlance, he is the sure thing. However, without tempting fate, he would not be the first can’t miss heavyweight prospect who failed to make good on early career promise.

Indeed, those in the Itauma business need only to look at the cautionary tale of Jared Anderson to realise that sometimes a career should be accelerated smoothly and gradually, as opposed to putting the pedal to the metal.

Anderson - a two-time US National champion at heavyweight as an amateur – was signed to Bob Arum’s Top Rank operation amid much brouhaha. 'The Real Big Baby' boxed on several platforms to gain exposure, including Sky Sports, DAZN, and previously on TrillerTV. A switch-hitter with a solid 252lbs frame, he was 17-0 (15) when he was matched with Martin Bakole last year. And then things fell apart. Bakole’s hands were too fast for Anderson, and he was too seasoned. The American could not put a dent in the Congolese giant, and he was dropped three times inside five rounds of a one-sided contest in August 2024 before it was waved off. He has boxed just once since, and a career that at one time had outrageous momentum has suddenly stalled. 

On Fire

Hall-of-Fame promoter Frank Warren told DAZN after the fight the heavyweight division is "on fire" and also lauded Itauma’s “temperament, control and composure.” There are few people in the world who know how to build a fighter better than Warren, a savvy operator known for taking the right fights at the right time.

The Buddha said, “Do not dwell on the past. Do not dream of the future. Concentrate the mind on the present moment.”

Could ‘Enriko’ eclipse Anthony Joshua in terms of achievements? In a sporting sense, absolutely. Yet he will have to go some to match and exceed AJ in a commercial sense. One thing is for sure. It’s going to be a hell of a lot of fun finding out. 

There is no hurry of course. What is meant for you always arrives on time.  

Yours in Sport,

D Bilton

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