Why are boxing's bodyguards wearing BAD on their shirt during Itauma vs Whyte?
The 20-year-old Itauma is looking to down 37-year-old Whyte as he continues his boxing ascendancy.
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Itauma comes into the clash with a record of 12-0, while The Body Snatcher holds a record of 31-3.
Before the clash, fans may have noticed something a bit different about the bodyguards during the walks to the ring.
The beefy protectors will be wearing shirts with 'BAD' printed on them during Itauma vs Whyte in Riyadh.
SunSport can share why the bodyguards are wearing the unique shirts.
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
Why are boxing's bodyguards wearing BAD on their shirts?
Boxing's bodyguards are wearing BAD on their shirts to remember the late Brent Aaron Davies.
Davies was Brendan Lyons' best friend, who runs Lyons Den Security.
Lyons runs a lot of security for boxing events, and is Tyson Fury's personal bodyguard.
In a tribute to his late friend on Instagram, Lyons wrote: "Will miss you like you wouldn't believe, give me my first security job age 19, there would be no Lyons Den Security if it wasn't for you."
Davies' funeral was held on August 1.
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What TV channel is Itauma vs Whyte on and can it be live streamed?
Itauma vs Whyte will be broadcast live on DAZN.
The whole fight card will stream live on DAZN in over 200 countries across the globe via a DAZN subscription.
If you are not currently a DAZN member, then monthly and annual subscription options are available to watch over 185 fights a year across boxing, bare knuckle boxing, MMA and kickboxing.
An Annual Super Saver subscription is a one-off payment of £119.99 / $224.99 for 12-months access (£14.99 / $19.99 per month if paying in monthly instalments).
A Monthly Flexible pass, which can be cancelled at any time, is £24.99 / $29.99 per month.
The coverage for the card starts at 5.45pm BST, with ring walks for the main event expected at 10.20pm BST.
Alternatively, SunSport's live blog will bring you round-by-round updates from the huge card.
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Daily Mirror
31 minutes ago
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Moses Itauma admits to sleepless nights ahead of Dillian Whyte fight
Itauma has been tipped for big things in the sport, but as well as the pressure, the 20-year-old has admitted that his upcoming foe has kept him up at night Dillian Whyte has sensationally kept Moses Itauma up at night - with the young Brit admitting that different scenarios have been playing out in his head. The two heavyweight giants will headline a stacked card in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night. This is certainly a jump up in level for Itauma - who burst onto the scene after brutally knocking out Mariusz Wach in July 2024. The 20-year-old has since gone on to knock both Demsey McKean and Mike Balogun. But Whyte is certainly no walk in the park. The 34-fight veteran is widely-regarded as one of the best heavyweight fighters on the planet on his day. That said, these past few years have been rather up-and-down for the 'Body Snatcher.' The Brixton native comes into the clash off the back of a win over Ebenezer Tetteh last December. Given Whyte's pedigree and record at the top level, he certainly has the ability to cause a monumental upset and derail the Itauma hype train. As for the 20-year-old, the Chatham scrapper is really yet to be tested inside the squared-circle. If the young Brit is not careful, he could end up suffering the first loss of his professional career. With all the hype and all the pressure, Itauma admits the thought of his upcoming adversary has kept him up at night. "Me against Dillian Whyte was keeping me up at night," he openly revealed ahead of his main event showdown with the 'Body Snatcher.' "It was like, scenarios just playing out in my head and I feel like that might be a problem with a lot of people. "The reason why they get so nervous and so anxious in their fights is because they are too focused on the outcome. I am not fussed about the outcome, I am fussed about me boxing to my gameplay. When I box to the gameplay, I know that I can beat Dillian Whyte. In turn, it is just going to be 'cool, job is done. You have completed the equation.' Whereas, if I do not do it, it is like 'I have failed.' I would not say I would be happy if I beat Dillian Whyte, but I know I would be disappointed if I do not." Itauma's comments are nothing to be concerned about. The 20-year-old was quick to clarify his comments, admitting that he is playing out different scenarios in his head and realises the importance of his upcoming fight. Despite his explosive style, Itauma admits he vows to stick to the gameplan and not enter the ring 'just to throw punches.' "It is like… you know when you have that period of time before you fall asleep? You just have that period of time of just emptiness. The first thought that comes to my mind is the most important thing of my life right now, and that would be winning this fight," Itauma continued. "In my mind, the thing that comes to my mind is Dillian Whyte and how we are going to beat him. And there are just scenarios that play over in my head: 'ok, cool, if he does this, so I can exploit that.' It is not something that is keeping me up and I am afraid. It is just that I am planning the scenarios in my head. I think it is very evident that people know that I do not go to the ring just to throw punches, I use a tactic and I box to a gameplan. I am just going to do my best to execute it." Given Whyte's experience in the ring, there are many who feel as if his best years are behind him, but Itauma - when picturing his rival at night - believes a 'scary' version of the 'Body Snatcher' will show up on fight night - with intentions of putting himself back into title contention. "I think of a scary, mean looking guy who is ready to take my head off because I feel like that is what he is going to do," he admitted. "I am ranked number one with the WBO. So a win against me is going to put him in there maybe like in contention with a rematch against Joseph Parker."
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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... '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***.'' 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. 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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. '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.
