It was merely one decade ago when Mosea Itauma, the Slovakian-born heavyweight who grew up in Kent, England, sat by his television as a wide-eyed grade school student to watch British Olympic hero Anthony Joshua’s thrilling knockout of amateur rival Dillian Whyte.
“I was 10 years old,” Itauma told CBS Sports last week. “And now, I’m boxing Dillian Whyte.”
Itauma (12-0, 10 KOs), the 20-year-old phenom who has been called the best heavyweight prospect in two decades, will headline his first pay-per-view card (DAZN PPV, 12:45 p.m. ET) on Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in a 10-round bout against the battle-tested Whyte (31-3, 21 KOs), a 37-year-old from Jamaica, who has only lost to current or former world champions and remains one of the division’s most experienced and dangerous opponents.
On one hand, Itauma is as high as a 12-to-1 betting favorite to defeat Whyte as powerful Saudi Arabian adviser Turki Alalshikh continues to fast track the southpaw slugger on a rapid road to global stardom. But on the other hand, Itauma has been a professional for just over two years, has never been past six rounds and hasn’t made it out of the second round in 10 of 12 pro fights.
For most, the pressure that Itauma is facing would be enough to break them before the walk to the ring even takes place. But it doesn’t take long before talking to Itauma that one realizes there’s something different about the demeanor and mindset of this young fighter.
“Pressure is always a thing but pressure is a privilege,” Itauma said. “Pressure allows you to show off your mettle. I use this moment to kind of use it to my advantage. I’m 20 years old but I try not to think like a 20-year old. I try to think as if I’m where my competition is at because I don’t want to ever use my age as an excuse. I didn’t beat him because I was 20. No, you didn’t beat him because you weren’t good enough. I don’t want to use that as an excuse.
“Dillian Whyte is a big fight and if I knock him out, it’s going to be a big statement.”
Just four months shy of his 21st birthday, Itauma is already too late to break Mike Tyson’s boxing record as the youngest fighter to win the heavyweight championship at 20 years, four months and 23 days. Yet, it isn’t lost on Itauma what is truly at stake in the Whyte fight.
Even though fellow heavyweights like former titleholder Joseph Parker and upstart Agit Kabayel have a stronger claim, from the standpoint of meritocracy, to be the next opponent for undisputed heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk, Alalshikh has already gone on record in saying he is willing to front the money for an Usyk-Itauma fight next should the bright prospect get the better of Whyte this weekend.
“I don’t like to use the word deserve because you don’t get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate,” Itauma said. “But, I do feel like Agit Kabayel and Joseph Parker should get a shot at the title but, also, I’m here to negotiate. If I get rid of Dillian Whyte in a good fashion and the Usyk fight presents itself, it is what it is. If it don’t, then it don’t.
“I don’t think about it. After Usyk knocked out [Daniel] Dubois [in their July rematch], my phone had people messaging me, tagging me, DMing me. Obviously, Turki said [Usyk-Itauma could be next]. All that is good but I’m here focusing on Dillian Whyte. So, as of right now, that stuff is kind of irrelevant to me. But, if I go do a number on Dillian Whyte then the world is my oyster.”
One can take from Itauma’s words just how focused he is on Whyte and how much he is trying not to think about topics like Usyk, stardom and the generational wealth that could be not too far away should he continue winning. A big part of Itauma’s early success has been his maturity and mental discipline, which is something head trainer Ben Davison has routinely talked about publicly.
Davison, who has trained former heavyweight champions like Tyson Fury and Joshua in the past, also knows a thing or two about being a wunderkind, himself. Still just 28, Davison was only one year older than Itauma is now when he cornered Fury in his first fight against then-titleholder Deontay Wilder in 2018.
“I trust [Davison] as a coach and he trusts me to listen to him as a fighter. I think that is kind of the reason why we work so well,” Itauma said. “The key component is being conscious. When you are in training, some fighters are thinking about all of this stuff that doesn’t matter but, with me, I’m very conscious and in the training session. Ben has openly said that I, in the gym, is one of the guys who listen the most. Since I’ve been with Ben, all of my fights have been one or two rounds at the most and they haven’t been against bad competition.”
Itauma is also a true student of the game, which is evidenced by the talented names he mentions when asked which boxers have most influenced the unique style he brings to the table today as a southpaw with insanely fast hands, great footwork and power in both hands. It’s a list which includes “Prince” Naseem Hamed, Floyd Mayweather, Gennadiy Golovkin, Vasiliy Lomachenko, Gervonta “Tank” Davis and George Foreman.
Even though Itauma can’t help but break into a smile when revealing that his 2024 knockout of former title challenger Mariusz Wach led to people calling him “a heavyweight Manny Pacquiao,” Itauma remains steadfast about not wanting to be compared to anyone.
“I took this from Floyd [Mayweather] but I don’t want to be like any fighter, I want my own kind of style and my own identity,” Itauma said. “My own identity is a mixture of all these fighters. It didn’t originate from me. There’s nothing I do that other people haven’t done, it’s just that I have been able to mix it all in so well.”
Ultimately, the true key to Itauma’s early success appears to be just how little he seems to be seduced by his own hype.
“I don’t want to sound disrespectful but I don’t really care or pay attention to that because, at the end of the day, whether the fans love me or hate me, or whether they think I am the best or the worst, it doesn’t help me inside the ring,” Itauma said. “So, I’ve just got to do my job and I let the people talk.”