At just 21 years old, Moses Itauma has already forced the boxing world to look twice.
Calm, destructive and unfazed by expectation, the heavyweight from Chatham has been spoken about in rare terms, not simply as a prospect, but as a future champion in waiting.
Born Enriko Itauma in Kežmarok, Slovakia, in December 2004, his early life was shaped by upheaval.
The son of a Nigerian father and Slovakian mother, Itauma and his family experienced racial discrimination, prompting a move to England when he was around four years old.
Settling in Kent, the sport that would later define his life arrived soon after.
Boxing was already part of the family. His older brother Karol was a standout amateur and Youth Olympic gold medallist, and it was following him into the gym that first introduced Moses to the sport.
He began boxing at nine, initially struggling, but persistence quickly gave way to dominance.
As an amateur, Itauma compiled a flawless record of 24 wins without defeat, collecting gold medals at Schools, Junior, Youth European and Youth World Championship level.
His talent was so evident that, while still a teenager, he was sparring elite professionals including Lawrence Okolie, Joe Joyce and even Tyson Fury, sometimes arriving straight from school.
He turned professional on his 18th birthday in January 2023, signing with Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions, and announced himself emphatically with a 23-second knockout on debut.
From there, his rise has been swift and ruthless.
Itauma briefly spoke of chasing Mike Tyson’s record as the youngest heavyweight world champion in history, before later admitting the realities of modern boxing made that goal unrealistic.
Records aside, his progress has remained relentless.
He has raced to a 13-0 professional record with 11 knockouts, collecting the Commonwealth, WBO Inter-Continental and WBA International heavyweight titles along the way.
A composed southpaw with concussive power and an old-head mentality, Itauma is trained by Ben Davison and widely regarded as one of the most complete young heavyweights in the sport.
Praise has followed from the very top of the division, with figures such as Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk identifying him as a future world champion.
For now, the hype continues to grow, but inside the ring, Itauma has shown an ability to match expectation with substance.
Britain has produced many heavyweight hopes. Few have looked this convincing, this early.
His next fight sees him face Jermaine Franklin on Saturday, January 24 at the Coop Arena in Manchester.
Last time out for Itauma, he stopped heavyweight veteran Dillian Whyte back in August. The bout lasted just 1 minute and 59 seconds before the prospect had KO’d his opponent.
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