MOSES ITAUMA, much like the vast majority of fans, believes that his coming out party will arrive against Dillian Whyte this Saturday.
The pair are just days away from colliding in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where Itauma, 12-0 (10 KOs) – on paper, at least – is gearing up for a career-toughest assignment.
That is not saying much, though, as the 20-year-old’s most meaningful win thus far arrived against Demsey McKean, a typically sturdy yet unremarkable heavyweight, towards the end of last year.
Back then, Itauma delivered a stunning first-round finish and, ever since that moment, has been widely regarded as the next dominant force in the land of the giants.
Whyte, 31-3 (21 KOs), meanwhile, has not claimed a notable victory since 2022, when, after getting stopped in his tracks by Tyson Fury, he edged a highly-contentious majority decision against Jermaine Franklin Jr.
As for his last outing, the 37-year-old produced a largely reckless – and at times, pedestrian – performance against Ebenezer Tetteh, before securing a seventh-round stoppage victory.
But Whyte, to his credit, has firmly established himself as a man who takes on all comers, no matter the challenges that they may pose.
Yet despite the former world title challenger’s tenacious attitude, Itauma admitted at today’s press conference that, at one stage, he was unconvinced that their encounter would materialise.
“For a long time, I didn’t think the fight was going to happen,” he said. “But we’re here.”
Then, after being asked for his opinion on Whyte’s somewhat self-depricating approach throughout the build-up, Itauma suggested that his opponent could be a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
“There’s a rule in the 48 Laws of Power where you play a sheep to catch a wolf, and I feel like that’s what Dillian Whyte is doing,” he offered.
“[But] if he is, [or] if he’s not, it doesn’t matter, because I’m going to bring the heat Saturday night.”
In response, a relatively laid-back Whyte said: “There ain’t no sheep around here. There’s a lot of wolves around here, but no sheep.”
As their media event drew to a close, Itauma then took the opportunity to reflect on the position that he now finds himself in.
“I just had to take a picture of all you lovely people [the crowd],” he said. “I never thought that this many people would turn up to my fight, let alone a press conference, so I’m blessed to be here and am grabbing this opportunity with both hands.
“This is the start of greatness.”
