Boxing does not throw up many like this. Every few years, maybe. A fighter arrives who makes you stop whatever you are doing and pay attention, and right now that fighter is Moses Itauma. He is 21. He has never lost, and people who know this sport inside out are already calling him a future heavyweight king, which, for a lad who has only been pro a few years, is a wild thing to hear. His own promoter, Frank Warren, swears blind he would see off Anthony Joshua tomorrow. The Tyson comparisons will not go away either. Plenty of noise, then.
Thing is, noise comes free in boxing. Everyone is the next big thing until they are not. So the real question is whether Itauma has actually backed it up. Where he came from, what he has done, and what the rumour mill is saying about his next move. Let us dig in.
Who is Moses Itauma?
Bit of background first. Itauma is 21, a heavyweight, and he calls Chatham in Kent home these days. He was actually born in Slovakia, to a Nigerian mum and a Grenadian dad, before the family settled in England when he was young. He boxed from early on, tore through the amateur ranks, and went pro at 18. Most kids that age are still figuring out what they want to do. He was already trading leather for a living.
Here is what makes him different. He is a southpaw, and a big rangy one at that, which for a heavyweight is a proper headache to deal with. The hand speed is the bit that really catches your eye though. Quick. Frighteningly so for a man his size. Pair that with the kind of ring composure you simply do not expect from someone this young, and you start to understand the fuss. There is no flapping, no wasted energy when he fights. Just calm, and then bad news for whoever is across from him.
Moses Itauma’s Record and Recent Fights
Itauma sits at 14-0 with 12 knockouts. The numbers only tell half the story though. It is the manner of the wins, and the speed at which he has climbed, that has turned heads.
He has been fast-tracked with real intent. Rather than padding his record against journeymen forever, his team have steadily ramped up the level, and Itauma has answered every question with brutal efficiency. Across his last few fights he has shared the ring with names that mean something, and made each of them look ordinary. The result is a 21-year-old already ranked number one by the WBO and inside the top 10 with every major governing body.
Moses Itauma’s Most Memorable Wins
Dillian Whyte, August 2025
This was the one that pulled in the wider crowd. Whyte is old-school, a former world title challenger who has traded with the best the division has to offer. Itauma needed a single round. One. A diminished Whyte, yes, you have to say that, but you can only beat the man in front of you, and Itauma flattened him with a calm that did not look real on a 20-year-old. Statement delivered.
Jermaine Franklin, March 2026
Probably his best work yet. Franklin was a proper measuring stick, a tough, awkward American who had gone the full twelve with both Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte and, across 27 fights, had never once been stopped. Never. Itauma stopped him in five. The Co-op Live in Manchester saw the WBO mandatory get rubber-stamped that night, and the boxing world properly leaned in. There was one tiny twist in the tale too, which we will come back to.
Why Moses Itauma Could Be the Next Big Thing
Start with the obvious one. He is 21. Let that sink in. Most heavyweights have not even laced up as professionals at that age, never mind sitting top of the WBO rankings with a world title shot in touching distance. That runway, the sheer amount of career still ahead of him, is rare air. It is the single biggest reason people are this excited.
Then you have the tools. The hand speed is the thing that jumps out first, genuinely quick for a man that size, the kind of speed that makes good heavyweights look like they are wading through treacle. Add the southpaw stance, which is an absolute nightmare to game-plan for, and a finishing instinct that does not let opponents off the hook, and you have a serious package. Warren has even claimed Itauma beats Anthony Joshua right now. Promoter talk? Maybe. But plenty of sharp, sober voices in the sport are saying much the same thing, and that is harder to dismiss. The name that keeps getting whispered is Tyson. Not the style, the two could not be more different, but the youth and the aura. Win a world title before the year is out and Itauma becomes the second-youngest heavyweight champion ever, behind only Iron Mike himself.
A word of caution though, because it would be lazy not to mention it. Against Franklin, Itauma got caught and briefly wobbled. First time we have seen it. He shook it off and went on to win in style, but it planted a seed of a question that has not quite gone away. What happens when a big, durable heavyweight catches him clean and just keeps walking forward? Nobody really knows yet. And that, more than anything, is why his next fight is such a big deal.
Moses Itauma’s Next Fight: The Rumours
Itauma is back in action on Saturday 8 August 2026, live on DAZN. The opponent has not been officially confirmed at the time of writing, but the boxing world is in little doubt about who it will be: Croatia’s Filip Hrgovic.
Reports across the sport have the deal as good as done, with Queensberry confirming the contract is finalised and Hrgovic himself saying he is ready to sign. It would be a major step up. Hrgovic (20-1) is an Olympic bronze medallist whose only loss came to current WBO champion Daniel Dubois, and even then he went eight hard rounds and landed plenty of his own. A WBO number one against number two, it is the biggest heavyweight fight available outside of a world title bout, and the perfect examination of whether Itauma really is the real deal. The venue is still to be nailed down, with London’s O2 Arena and Manchester both in the frame.
Beyond that, the sky is the limit. Warren has stated Itauma will fight for a world title before the end of 2026, with a US debut also planned. Get past Hrgovic, and a shot at the WBO crown, potentially against fellow Brit Dubois, moves sharply into view.
Moses Itauma Betting
As one of the most explosive prospects in world boxing, Itauma tends to go in as a strong favourite, often with a knockout the most backed method given his finishing record. His step up to Hrgovic should make for the closest fight of his career so far, which means tighter odds and plenty of interest in the method and round markets.
For the latest Moses Itauma odds, round betting and method of victory markets, check out all our sports betting markets.
More Boxing Coverage
Itauma is one of several British heavyweights lighting up 2026. Anthony Joshua returns on 25 July in Riyadh ahead of his signed showdown with Tyson Fury later in the year. For the full breakdown, read our Anthony Joshua vs Kristian Prenga preview.
For the latest fight odds, outright markets and round betting across every boxing event, visit BetVictor’s boxing betting hub.
He is 21. Worth repeating, because it is the whole story really. Win a world title this year and he leapfrogs into the record books as the second-youngest heavyweight champ ever, with only Mike Tyson ahead of him.
Unbeaten. 14 wins, no losses, 12 by knockout. He is the WBO mandatory challenger right now and sits inside the top 10 with all four of the major governing bodies.
The two that stand out are Dillian Whyte and Jermaine Franklin. Whyte he knocked out inside a round back in August 2025. Franklin he stopped in the fifth in March 2026, and that one carried real weight, because Franklin had taken both Anthony Joshua and Whyte the distance and had never been stopped by anyone before.
Saturday 8 August 2026, live on DAZN. The opponent looks set to be Croatia’s Filip Hrgovic, though nothing had been made official at the time of writing.
A lot of people in the sport think exactly that. He is 21, unbeaten, frighteningly quick, and already the WBO number one with a title shot on the horizon. The real answer comes the moment he steps up against a genuine world-level opponent. That is when we find out how high this goes.
