The unbeaten 21-year-old faces Filip Hrgović for the vacant IBF heavyweight title on Saturday, but the foundations for his remarkable rise were laid more than a decade ago.
LONDON — Moses Itauma’s opportunity to become a heavyweight world champion may have arrived remarkably early, but the preparation for this moment began when he was just nine years old.
Itauma will face Filip Hrgović at The O2 in London on Saturday for the vacant IBF heavyweight championship, with the unbeaten Briton entering the biggest fight of his career at 14-0 with 12 knockouts. Hrgović, 34, brings a 20-1 record and considerably more professional experience. For Itauma, victory would transform him from one of boxing’s most highly regarded young prospects into a world champion and potentially make him the second-youngest heavyweight champion in history behind Mike Tyson.
But while Itauma’s professional rise has been rapid, his boxing education has been anything but rushed.
Itauma was born in Kežmarok, Slovakia, to a Nigerian father and Slovak mother before moving to England with his family and settling in Chatham, Kent. His older brother Karol was already involved in boxing, and Moses followed him into St Mary’s Amateur Boxing Club when he was nine.
The youngster did not immediately fall in love with the sport. Itauma struggled with his early sessions and briefly turned his attention towards football before eventually returning to the gym. That return proved to be the most important decision of his young life. What began as a nine-year-old following his older brother gradually developed into a serious commitment to boxing.
Karol’s influence was significant. He had already established himself as a talented amateur and went on to win gold at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games. Moses therefore had a successful fighter within his own family to look towards while developing his own career.
At St Mary’s, Itauma’s raw ability began to be shaped into something more sophisticated. Coach Dan Woledge played an important role in his development, encouraging the youngster to study different fighters and incorporate aspects of their styles into his own. One of Itauma’s biggest influences was Prince Naseem Hamed, whose movement, creativity and unorthodox approach fascinated him.
That influence remains apparent in Itauma’s boxing. Despite competing in the heavyweight division, he possesses unusually quick hands and feet, allowing him to move around the ring and create angles in a way that is uncommon for a fighter of his size. His power is obvious, but his athleticism and technical ability are what have made him such an intriguing prospect.
The amateur years provided the competitive foundation. Itauma progressed through the English system before making his mark internationally, winning major titles at youth level. His defining amateur achievement came in 2022 when he won the IBA Youth World Championship, adding to his European Youth title.
By the end of his amateur career, Itauma was unbeaten at 24-0 with 11 knockouts, according to Queensberry. That record tells only part of the story. The years of tournament boxing had given him experience dealing with different opponents, travelling internationally and performing under pressure long before he entered the professional ranks.
His education was not limited to amateur competition. As a teenager, Itauma was exposed to experienced professionals through sparring and elite training environments. He was able to learn what heavyweight boxing felt like against senior fighters while still developing his own game.
That experience helped make his transition to professional boxing less daunting. Itauma had not simply spent his teenage years fighting other teenagers; he had already been learning from fighters operating at a much higher level.
His ability also attracted attention early. Francis Warren reportedly became aware of Itauma when he was around 14 after seeing him sparring, but the youngster continued his amateur career rather than rushing into the professional ranks. After winning the Youth World Championship in 2022, Itauma signed with Queensberry shortly after turning 18.
His professional debut came on January 28, 2023, against Marcel Bode at Wembley Arena. Itauma needed just 23 seconds to stop his opponent, immediately demonstrating the explosive power that had made him such a highly rated amateur.
The knockouts continued as Itauma moved through the professional ranks. His development was carefully managed, but the performances increasingly suggested that he was progressing faster than a conventional heavyweight prospect. He stopped former heavyweight world-title challenger Dillian Whyte in 2025 before defeating Jermaine Franklin by fifth-round stoppage in March 2026, taking his professional record to 14-0.
Now comes Hrgović.
The Croatian represents a different challenge from the opponents Itauma has faced previously. Hrgović has been competing as a professional since 2017 and has fought at world level, with his only defeat coming against Daniel Dubois. He is also a naturally large heavyweight with 15 knockouts in his 20 professional victories.
The fight was initially expected to be an important contest for Itauma’s development, but the stakes changed when Oleksandr Usyk vacated the IBF heavyweight championship. The IBF subsequently sanctioned Itauma and Hrgović to fight for the vacant title, turning the biggest test of the Briton’s career into an opportunity for a world championship.
That changes the questions surrounding Itauma.
Until now, the focus has largely been on what he could become. Against Hrgović, he has to show what he is now. His speed and power are proven, but championship boxing can demand qualities that cannot be measured by a knockout record: composure when a fight becomes difficult, the ability to adapt when an opponent refuses to cooperate, and the stamina to maintain technique deep into a contest.
Hrgović has the experience to test all of those areas.
For Itauma, however, there is a reason to believe he is prepared. He has spent almost his entire life around boxing. The professional record represents only the most recent chapter of his development. Before the 14 victories and 12 knockouts came years of amateur competition, international tournaments, elite sparring and countless hours inside the gym.
That is the part of Itauma’s story that can easily be overlooked when his professional rise is described as “rapid.”
The process has been anything but rapid.
It began with a nine-year-old boy following his brother into a boxing gym in Chatham. It continued through an unbeaten amateur career, European and world youth titles, exposure to senior professionals, and the careful development of a style that combines heavyweight power with unusual speed and movement.
More than a decade later, Itauma is standing at the threshold of the heavyweight division’s biggest prize.
If he defeats Hrgović on Saturday, he will become an IBF heavyweight world champion at just 21 years old and put himself among the youngest heavyweight champions the sport has produced.
Whatever happens at The O2, the journey to this point is already remarkable.
Moses Itauma did not suddenly arrive at the top of boxing.
He has been building towards it since he was nine years old.
