Moses Itauma not 'foolish' to expect under-par Dillian Whyte in intriguing encounter

Moses Itauma is not facing with Dillian Whyte off the basis that the star will perform as he did in his last bouts, with trainer Ben Davison expecting the best version of the veteran.

The pair meet in a hotly anticipated heavyweight contest this weekend with serious ramifications for the division, atop a fight card at Riyadh's ANB Arena on DAZN Pay-Per-View.

Whyte has not particularly impressed in wins over Jermaine Franklin, Christian Hammer and Ebenezer Tetteh in recent years, though he arrives in better shape for this contest.

Speaking at Wednesday's open workouts, trainer Davison says that Itauma has prepared in full expectation that Whyte will be close to the form that booked him a world title shot.

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"We'd be foolish to be taking the fight off his last performance," he said. "It was never going to happen. He's had lots of things going on, lots of inactivity, but he's got in shape.

"I've said this time and time again, Moses Itauma is not the kind of fighter where he has to bank on catching people at the right time.

"He's good enough to mix with any of them at any point. We've prepared for Dillian to turn up as the best Dillian possible. He's experienced, he's a big strong guy.

"He's got plenty of heart and he can punch. He brings all that to the table, and that doesn't change no matter what condition he turns up in.

"Moses, the young lad can fight up close as well and you've got to have that in the locker. If the fight goes that way, I wouldn't be shocked for it to still go as we expect.

"It's risk versus reward. One thing I want to say about Moses is that there is a lot of hard work, and he is one of the hardest workers you'll come across.

"That's the real talent. I think Dillian is too long in the tooth, but there's respect both ways and it is business on Saturday."

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.