Brit boxing star Moses Itauma left feeling ‘uncomfortable' after fan jokingly blackmails him on train
The 20-year-old Kent boxing prodigy was doing a three-hour commute to train at Ben Davison's Harlow gym and constantly getting stuck in traffic.
In the early days of his 12-fight pro career, when the infuriating gridlock struck, he would ditch the roads and hit the track.
But - after one-too-many bizarre encounters on the underground and National Rail - he has now ripped up his oyster card and rents a local house for his 16-week training camps, to avoid any more embarrassing encounters on London's tubes and trains.
Ahead of his Saturday night Riyadh showdown with bullish 37-year-old Dillian Whyte, Itauma told SunSport: 'This is my third fight in the camp house because travelling from Kent to Harlow every day was a killer - especially the Dartford crossing.
'The amount of times I drove there and ended up just leaving my car and getting the train home was a joke. One time I left the gym at 3pm and I didn't get home until 9:30pm.
'I got stuck at the Dartford crossing, turned the car around, drove to Stratford, dumped the car and got the train - I couldn't do that anymore.
'But then the trains became a problem too - I was on a train about three months ago, looking at my phone, minding my own business.
'And some guy came over and sat next to me and whispered: 'If you take a selfie with me, I won't tell everyone on here who you are.'
'Then the guy opposite said: 'We all know who he is, mate, but we're just trying to leave him alone!''
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Moses Itauma vs Dillian Whyte - all the info
One of the biggest fights of the year has arrived
The highly-touted Moses Itauma faces the biggest test of his fledgling career as he steps into the ring with Dillian Whyte on Saturday night.
Itauma, 20, has great expectations on his shoulders - he has been compared to Mike Tyson and is expected by many to dominate boxing's heavyweight division over the next decade.
But the Slovakian-born star - who sits at 12-0 (10KOs) is yet to face a test anywhere close to what Whyte can offer.
The Body Snatcher is now 37 and has not looked great in his last couple of fights, but the former world title challenger knows an upset win would catapult him right back to the top table.
Watch Itauma vs Whyte LIVE on DAZN
Here's everything you need to know ahead of the fight...
INFO
Start time, TV channel and live stream - all the info
What is the fight purse for huge heavyweight clash?
LATEST NEWS
Body Snatcher shows off incredible body transformation
Whyte happy to be the underdog against Itauma
Whyte's trainer reveals he's NEVER watched Itauma fight
Whyte's rise from eating out of bins and selling fanta to heavyweight contender
Itauma delivers the story like a seasoned showbiz star, not the wonderkid boxer who has dedicated his life to nothing but the fight game for a decade.
Neither comedic delivery nor the threat of Whyte's vicious left hook, seem to faze Itauma.
Anthony Yarde reveals brilliant story about first meeting a 13-year-old Moses Itauma
But intense fandom, and criticism for hopping on the quickest and easiest mode of transport available, did stun him.
'It made me feel uncomfortable,' he admitted. "And then the first bloke asked me why 'someone like me' was even getting a train
'I did the selfie with him, though, and I signed his phone for him.
'The train is so handy to beat the traffic around London, but I'm not even sure I can do that anymore.
'I've never denied anyone a picture, because I know and appreciate that they might never see me - or anyone else famous - ever again.
'But there are ways to go about things and I always like to be respectful.'
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