Latest news with #MosesItauma
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
British heavyweight Moses Itauma admits it was 'naive' to target elusive Mike Tyson record in the boxing ring - after extending unbeaten record with BRUTAL knockout
Moses Itauma has admitted he was 'naive' to think that he could break Mike Tyson 's record for being the youngest heavyweight world champion in history. The 20-year-old, who had previously expressed his desire to beat Tyson's elusive record, made another big statement on Saturday as he extended his unbeaten record. The Chatham-based star took on former NFL player Mike Balogun, dominating him on the undercard of Josh Taylor 's clash with Ekow Essuman. It proved to be another successful night's work for the up-and-coming star, who moved to 12-0 in the professional game. However, Itauma has now passed the age - 20 years and four months old - that Tyson was when he became heavyweight champion and, upon reflection, Itauma admitted that it was an 'impossible' goal. Speaking to BBC 5 Live Boxing with Steve Bunce podcast, Itauma said: 'When I turned professional it was about chasing that record. Now that record is off the books, I am just trying to take my time with it. 'In the first two months of me being professional, I realised that goal's impossible. I was naive when I said that. I said that before I turned professional. 'I didn't realise how much you can't control in this boxing game. You think since I turned professional, the world champions have been Daniel Dubois, Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury. 'There's no way in two years I would have put myself in a position to fight them.' It remains to be seen who the prodigy will face next, but Frank Warren has teased that he could earn a spot on the undercard of Oleksandr Usyk 's bout with Daniel Dubois at Wembley on July 19. It was naturally a quick start from Itauma, who wasted no time imposing his dominance in the ring and getting the better of the earlier exchanges. Two left hands in the opening round gave him an early advantage, with Balogun hitting the deck but managing to beat the count. The fight was all but over by the bell, but still it continued, and a strong right hand scored the second knockout with seconds on the clock. It was then a left hook which caused the final blow, with Balogun left flat on his back and unable to get back to his feet, with the referee waving off the contest. The bout was as routine as it gets for Itauma, who could face off against Martin Bakole in the near future. 'He is a tough cookie,' Itauma said of his opponent after the fight. 'I was catching him clean. 'Even that second one, I turned round and he was trying to get up. Fair play to him. I knew that this was his big chance. I like to appreciate Mike Balogun for taking this opportunity, because not a lot of people would.' Itauma has already fought on two Tyson Fury undercards in Saudi Arabia, drawing praise from the Gypsy King, and has looked the real deal on both occasions.
The Independent
6 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Moses Itauma reaches number one in WBO ratings
Moses Itauma is one step closer to a shot at a world title after the British heavyweight was moved up to number one in the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) ratings. Itauma, now 12-0 (10), made quick work of Mike Balogun on the undercard of Taylor-Essuman, sending the American down to the canvas three times before a second-round stoppage. The 20-year-old has risen to number one after Justis Huni was removed from the WBO's ratings. The Australian is set to face Fabio Wardley for the interim WBA heavyweight championship in June. Huni had been first with the WBO with Itauma second, but the absence of the former has seen the latter jump to number one. News of Itauma's new rating was announced by WBO president Gustavo Olivieri prior to the release of the full ranking lists. Taking to Twitter, Olivieri wrote: 'Moses Itauma has climbed the WBO rankings with talent, discipline, and electrifying performances. Now the #1 world-rated heavyweight contender, his moment is approaching. It's only a matter of time before he gets his shot and the world sees a new star emerge.' Olivieri reiterated that Joseph Parker remains the WBO's mandatory challenger for reigning champion Oleksandr Usyk, despite Itauma's new-found number one status. He continued: 'For the record: While Moses Itauma holds the WBO's #1 world ranking in the heavyweight division, this alone does not confer mandatory status. That designation requires defeating top-rated contender(s). Joe Parker remains the official mandatory and retains priority, per WBO rules.' Now clearly in title contention, Itauma's promoter Frank Warren is already eyeing up his next opponents. Enjoy 185+ fights a year on DAZN, the Global Home of Boxing Never miss a fight from top promoters. Watch on your devices anywhere, anytime. See Schedule ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. Prior to his defeat of Balogun, Itauma had been linked to a fight with Martin Bakole, but both fighter and promoter have since distanced themselves from the former 'boogeyman' of the division. Instead, Warren has suggested that his client could face Swede Otto Wallin or American Jermaine Franklin, 23-2 (15), with both heavyweights representing a step-up for Itauma. Wallin, 34-3 (15), is well known on British shores, having fought – and lost – against Tyson Fury, Derek Chisora, and Anthony Joshua. Speaking to BoxNation, Warren shared: 'I think Otto Wallin would be a great fight for him next. Otto's proven himself to be a very durable, tough opponent, who garners respect from the boxing community because of the work he's done against Tyson [Fury] and Anthony [Joshua]. 'For Moses – who wants to get rounds in – that's probably a great shout. Jermaine Franklin's another one that I particularly like the look of.'
BBC News
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Impossible to break Tyson record
Rising British star Moses Itauma says it was "impossible" for him to break Mike Tyson's record for the youngest heavyweight world was 20 years and four months old when he became world champion in 1986, and Itauma passed that age on Saturday."When I turned professional it was about chasing that record. Now that record is off the books, I am just trying to take my time with it," Itauma told the BBC's 5 Live Boxing with Steve Bunce podcast. "In the first two months of me being professional, I realised that goal's impossible. I was naive when I said that. I said that before I turned professional."I didn't realise how much you can't control in this boxing game. You think since I turned professional, the world champions have been Daniel Dubois, Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury."There's no way in two years I would have put myself in a position to fight them."Itauma's two-round destruction of Mike Balogun on Saturday extended his record to 12 wins and 10 was initially marketed as the teenager to break Tyson's record, but denied it was only ever a clever "marketing strategy" for his career. Itauma is expected to challenge for a world title in the next few years and has been linked with a number of big names, including Joe Bakole, Jermaine Franklin and Otto Wallin hve been mentioned as potential opponents and Itauma's promoter Frank Warren has said he will fight on the undercard of Dubois' world title fight against Oleksandr Usyk on 19 July at Wembley does not expect his next fight to be a big name and said his team want him to be in some "10-round fights" before moving up a level in opponents."There's guys that are tough cookies that ain't got a name. That's not ideal," he said."You want a tough guy with a good name and they aren't cheap."
The Independent
27-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Who is Moses Itauma? Fight record, stats, next bout and more
Moses Itauma will return to the ring this weekend, taking on Mike Balogun at the OVO Hydro Arena on the Josh Taylor vs Ekow Essuman undercard. This will be the Brit's first fight in 2025 as he continues his rise through the heavyweight ranks. Itauma has become one of the most exciting prospects in boxing and is a name to be remembered - so here is everything you need to know about Britain's next heavyweight hope. Who is Moses Itauma? Moses Itauma, born in Slovakia in 2004, moved to the UK with his family when he was four and started boxing at the age of nine. His short-but-successful amateur career included winning three national titles, three European titles and one world championship. But the heavyweight had Mike Tyson's record as the youngest ever heavyweight champion in his sights - signing with Queensberry Promotions just after his eighteenth birthday. What is Moses Itauma's record? After the success of his amateur career, Itauma hit the ground running, winning his debut fight via knockout in 23 seconds at Wembley Arena in 2023. He fought a further six times that year, finishing with a record of 7-0 (5 KO's). Itauma fought again early in 2024, knocking out Dan Garber in one round before making the choice to change his trainer from Alan Smith to Ben Davison, the former coach behind Tyson Fury. Still just nineteen, the young prospect fought for the WBO intercontinental title, knocking out Ilja Mezencev in the second round in Saudi Arabia to mark the beginning of his partnership with Davison. Back on home soil in July of 2024, Itauma took on his toughest test in heavyweight gatekeeper, Mariusz Wach, who has shared the ring with the likes of Wladimir Klitschko, Dillian Whyte and Martin Bakole. He dispatched Wach in the second round to retain his WBO intercontinental title. Another knockout victory followed five months later, this time by stopping Dempsey McKean in the first round. Itauma ended the year with 11 wins, 0 losses and 9 knockouts. Aside from two early points decisions, none of the Brit's opponents have survived to see the second round. He is ranked in the top ten with three out of the big four organisations – number two with the WBO, number three with the WBA and number seven with the IBF. Total fights: 11 Wins: 11 Losses: 0 Knockouts: 9 Rounds: 23 When is Moses Itauma's next fight? Itauma will enter the squared circle this weekend to fight Mike Balogun at the OVO Hydro Arena in Glasgow on the Josh Taylor vs Ekow Essuman undercard. Balogun, 21-1 (16), has some noticeable names on his record. He lost by knockout in ten rounds to former cruiserweight champion Murat Gassiev in Armenia. He also stopped Trey Lippe, the son of former champion Tommy Morrison, in one round in New york in 2021. Watch the very best boxing with a DAZN subscription DAZN is the home of combat sports, broadcasting over 185 fights a year from the world's best promoters, including Matchroom, Queensberry, Golden Boy, Misfits, PFL, BKFC, GLORY and more. An Annual Saver subscription is a one-off cost of £119.99 / $224.99 (for 12 months access), that's just 64p / $1.21 per fight. There is also a Monthly Flex Pass option (cancel any time) at £24.99 / $29.99 per month. A subscription includes weekly magazine shows, comprehensive fight library, exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes documentaries, and podcasts and vodcasts.
The Independent
27-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Frank Warren predicts step up to world level for ‘special' Itauma
Moses Itauma will look to extend his unbeaten record this weekend against Mike Balogun at the OVO Hydro Arena on the Josh Taylor vs Ekow Essuman undercard. This will be Itauma's first fight of 2025 after a short battle with injury and he will be looking to pick up where he left off last year, with a knockout. His promoter Frank Warren has predicted a world championship and more for the heavyweight. Warren, on the Queensberry Promotions YouTube channel, said: 'Moses, I feel, is something special. He's only 20 years of age and he's looking the business. As he's maturing, he's only going to get better and better.' Although Mike Tyson's record for the youngest heavyweight champion is now out of reach for Itauma, the Queensberry boss is already eyeing up a record held by Naseem Hamed. He said: 'He's not going to get that record now of becoming the youngest-ever heavyweight champion, but he could become Britain's youngest ever champion.' With Itauma already ranked in the top ten across three of the four major organisations, the Brit is at the same level as Martin Bakole and Filip Hrgovic. A fight with Bakole is one that Warren would be happy to make. He told BoxNation last week that Itauma would knock out the Congolese heavy hitter. Itauma had the opportunity to address the rumours of such a fight today before the Taylor-Essuman press conference. He dismissed Bakole as a spent force in the heavyweight division. Itauma told talkSport: 'Bakole is probably not a wise idea, because he's not the man he once was. If he manages to get that 'bogeyman' title back, then it's a good opportunity to fight him. But you wouldn't fight a man after he's just been knocked out by Joseph Parker and has had a trash performance against Efe Ajagba – what do you get out of that?' Frank Warren is confident that the Kent fighter will be the mandatory challenger for a heavyweight title soon. Warren told BoxNation: 'This year is a big year for him, it's a big year for British heavyweight boxing. A big fight on the 19th of July [Oleksandr Uysk vs Daniel Dubois] at Wembley – four belts on the line. [ Itauma's ] got his eyes on that, and he will be getting close to becoming a mandatory for a champion soon.' Watch the very best boxing with a DAZN subscription DAZN is the home of combat sports, broadcasting over 185 fights a year from the world's best promoters, including Matchroom, Queensberry, Golden Boy, Misfits, PFL, BKFC, GLORY and more. An Annual Saver subscription is a one-off cost of £119.99 / $224.99 (for 12 months access), that's just 64p / $1.21 per fight. There is also a Monthly Flex Pass option (cancel any time) at £24.99 / $29.99 per month. A subscription includes weekly magazine shows, comprehensive fight library, exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes documentaries, and podcasts and vodcasts.
