SPOTLIGHT ON MOSES ITAUMA- The 18 Year Old Chasing

Moses Itauma is in action again this weekend, his fourth outing this year and fourth as a Pro. With plenty of talk around what the young Heavyweight may achieve, Moses is the focus of this weeks Spotlight!

At just 18 years old, Moses Itauma has already begun to make waves in the world of professional boxing. Born on December 28, 2004, in Chatham, Kent, United Kingdom, Itauma has embarked on his professional boxing career at a remarkably young age, with World Titles on his radar!

The young Heavyweight sensation made his professional debut on January 28 at the OVO Arena in Wembley, on the undercard of the highly anticipated World Light Heavyweight unified title battle between Artur Beterbiev and Anthony Yarde. It took Itauma a mere 23 seconds to dispatch Marcel Bode, leaving a lasting impression on the audience. He continued his professional journey with a second fight in Telford on March 25 with another first round stoppage of Ramon Ibarra.

Itauma’s success as a professional boxer is rooted in his outstanding amateur career. As an amateur, he achieved remarkable accomplishments, including gold medals at the Schools, Juniors, and Youth Europeans. His most recent World gold came in November in Spain, adding to the titles he earned at the World Championships in Germany and Russia.

Represented by CSM, the management group founded by Francis Warren, Itauma joins the ranks of esteemed heavyweights such as Tyson Fury, Joe Joyce, Daniel Dubois, David Adeleye, George Fox, and Boma Brown under the Queensberry colors.

Speaking about his partnership with Hall of Fame promoter Frank Warren, Itauma expressed excitement and eagerness for the journey ahead. In an interview with Queensberry following signing his first professional contract, Itauma stated “It is exciting for me because Frank Warren has been on the circuit for many years and is the man for the job”

“For me now it is about stepping up quickly, really. I never really took up boxing to win world titles, I literally just kept going to the gym because we were like a little family at St Mary’s ABC. It was just good fun and then I started winning National titles.”

Itauma’s ambitions reach far beyond personal success. He aims to make a significant impact on the sport, aspiring to become the youngest-ever world heavyweight champion, a title currently held by the legendary Mike Tyson, who achieved the feat at the age of 20 years and four months. Itauma, driven by his prodigious talent and unwavering self-belief, sees this goal as attainable with the guidance and support of his team.

With an amateur record bordering on the extraordinary, Itauma leaves behind an impeccable legacy. With a record of 24-0 as an amateur, including 11 knockouts, he has never tasted defeat, with his only blemish being a split decision victory when he was just 11 years old. His dominance at the youth European Championships, where he knocked out all of his opponents in the first round to claim gold, highlights his exceptional abilities. Even in his early years, Itauma’s sparring sessions with renowned boxers like Lawrence Okolie, Joe Joyce, Daniel Dubois, and Anthony Joshua.

Itauma’s most recent fight was a non-title bout against Kostiantyn Dovbyshchenko on April 15, 2023, which he won via a six-round unanimous decision. The fight took place on the Joe Joyce vs Zhilei Zhang undercard at The Copperbox in London. People expected to see another quick knockout, but against a tough opponent Itamua showed he has the skill to win rounds and the stamina to last in them.

Moses hurt his hand during the fight but has recovered to take to the ring for his fourth outing of the year this weekend in which he takes on Argentinian Kevin Espindola (7-7, 2 KOs). The fight takes place on TNT (BT Sports) on the undercard of Liam Davies vs Jason Cunningham in Telford. Moses will be hoping for another impressive victory and hoping for the stoppage this time out!

By Lee Browne

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