It’s interesting. Moses Itauma, over the course of a 40-minute conversation, does not seem as cold as he once did. Yet the 20-year-old still touts a detached mindset as important for success – and peace. “What makes me happy?” he asks. “I don’t really know, I don’t chase happiness. I feel like a lot of people are too enslaved to their emotions, and that’s where problems come. I’m disciplined to what I’ve got to do.”
Itauma, perhaps the most exciting heavyweight prospect in years, might have worked on coming across slightly more gently. Indeed, he told The Independent earlier this year: “I watch my interviews and think… ‘Ah, I shouldn’t have said that. Ah, I should be smiling.’ When I first turned professional, I wanted to be unapproachable. But I [started] thinking: ‘I look like a proper pr***.’”
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The unbeaten Londoner, whose roots trace back to Slovakia and Nigeria, touches on this theme again today, in a conversation with The Independent and other publications. “I feel like everybody has to go through a period of like… a bit of an identity crisis, and actually discover themselves,” he says.
Itauma has not only been discovering who he is outside the ring; he has been discovering whether his entire identity is tied to that ring. “I was a very angry kid,” he admits. “If you put an angry kid – and a big boy – in boxing, he’s bound to do some damage… or receive some.”
Thus far, it has been all the former, none of the latter, with Itauma going 12-0 with 10 knockouts. Perhaps the biggest statement so far was the southpaw’s December evisceration of Demsey McKean – a sturdy, proven opponent. At least, the Australian had seemed sturdy, before suffering two sickening knockdowns in two minutes against Itauma.
Yet Itauma has struggled to enjoy his success. While there was a window in which he might have broken Mike Tyson’s record as the youngest-ever world heavyweight champion (a window that has now closed), Itauma revealed not long ago that he had fallen out of love with boxing. He now puts it down to frustration at being “unable to surpass a barrier”.
But he crossed that barrier with a coaching switch, joining Ben Davison, who will be in Itauma’s corner for Saturday’s major step-up in competition: a clash with British veteran Dillian Whyte in Riyadh.
When Itauma first walked into Davison’s gym, the trainer was already watching the heavyweight’s fights on several screens, and was quick to point out habits to Itauma and discuss the means of reprogramming them. “I don’t want to disrespect any other coaches I tried or that I’ve worked with,” Itauma says. “Obviously I love and respect them, but Ben taught me a different side to boxing. When I joined the gym, I was getting really frustrated in the first couple spars. He taught me there’s actually a whole chess game.”
This weekend’s main event may not resemble chess, though, to the naked eye. Whyte is a fan favourite for a reason: he is a brawler, and that could lead to an explosive, swift showdown on Saturday. Itauma is the favourite, which says a lot about the expectations on him, but he is trying to stay grounded.
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“The first fight I watched where I knew both opponents was Whyte vs Anthony Joshua,” Itauma says. “I was like 10, and now I’m boxing Dillian, so I’m living the dream. I’m not saying: ‘Okay, cool, I got the fight, I’m happy.’ I’ve got an opportunity to showcase my skills, and I won’t be happy with anything but a knockout.”
Whyte is actually the first opponent that Itauma already follows on Instagram, a unique testament to his respect for the 37-year-old. “I was thinking about unfollowing him, but I was like: ‘This is childish.’ I ain’t got a problem with him, but it’s kinda weird seeing his stuff [and thinking]: ‘I’m about to punch your head in.’
“Even yesterday, me against Dillian was keeping me up at night. You know you have that time before you fall asleep, that period of emptiness? The first thought that comes to mind is the most important thing in my life right now: winning this fight. I’m still a kid, I ain’t got no responsibilities. The thing that comes to mind is: ‘How are we gonna beat him? If he does this, I’m gonna do this, so I can exploit that.’
“That might be a problem with a lot of people; they get too anxious in fights because they’re too focused on the outcome. I’m not fussed about that, I’m fussed about my gameplan. When I box to my gameplan, I know I can beat Whyte. It’s not keeping me up because I’m afraid, I’m just playing scenarios in my head.”
“When you’re picturing Dilian before you go to sleep…” one journalist jumps in, suppressing a grin. “Ah, come on, man,” Itauma laughs. “Don’t say it like that.” But he adds: “I think of a scary, mean-looking guy who’s ready to take my head off, because I feel like that’s what he’s gonna [try to] do.”
Itauma does not seem to be picturing a fight with Oleksandr Usyk, this generation’s greatest heavyweight and the reigning, undisputed champion. Still, he patiently answers repeated questions about the Ukrainian, 38, from various corners.
“Of course, I take my hat off to him, probably the best heavyweight for a long time, but I wouldn’t say I admire Usyk,” Itauma says, explaining: “The only reason is that I don’t really like to admire any boxer. Once you put them on a pedestal, you might get a bit starstruck, and it won’t lead to positions like Moses Itauma boxing Dillian Whyte at 20 years old. Imagine I see Whyte as the same guy I watched on TV when I was 10, and I’m like: ‘Woah, now we’re in the ring.’ I don’t really have time for that.”
Yet, when pressed, he says: “I don’t think I’d lose anything from fighting Usyk. If I win, ‘wahey’; if I lose, I don’t think there’s any wrongdoings from that. But I don’t ever think I’m going to go into a fight and lose.”
In any case, he’s trying to dial down the noise. “I’ve been tagged, mentioned, everything [to do with Usyk]; I just ignore it, bro. I just turn my Instagram off. I don’t want to make the mistake of focusing on Usyk when I’ve got a serious operator in Whyte.”
Saturday could provide a serious test – or more evidence that Itauma is something truly special.
Itauma vs Whyte will air live exclusively on DAZN pay-per-view, at a cost of £19.99, on 16 August. A subscription to DAZN is available here.
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