At just 21, Moses Itauma is one win away from achieving what many boxers spend an entire career chasing.
The British-Nigerian heavyweight prospect will face Croatia’s Filip Hrgović on Saturday at the O2 Arena in London for the vacant IBF heavyweight world title.
A victory would not only make Itauma a world champion, it would also make him the second-youngest heavyweight world champion in boxing history, behind only Mike Tyson, who won his first heavyweight title at age 20.
For young Nigerians following sports, Itauma’s journey is a reminder that global success can come from unexpected beginnings.
Born in Slovakia to a Nigerian father and a Slovak mother, he later moved to Kent, England, where he developed into one of boxing’s most exciting young talents.
So far, he remains unbeaten as a professional, winning all 14 of his fights, with 12 coming by knockout.
His rapid rise has generated huge attention in the boxing world, but it has also brought pressure and criticism.
Ahead of Saturday’s fight, Itauma admitted that some of Hrgović’s comments have started to annoy him.
The Croatian heavyweight has repeatedly referred to him as a “kid” and questioned whether he deserves the hype surrounding him.
“I tell myself there’s nothing that this Hrgovic guy can do to get in my head, but he’s starting to wind me up,” Itauma said.
He particularly took issue with a comment in which Hrgović jokingly suggested he “wakes up and hugs trees.”
“In my mind, if somebody’s trying to get one up on you, or trying to get in your head, it’s because they’re not confident in themselves,” Itauma added.
Hrgović, however, believes his experience will give him the advantage.
The 2016 Olympic bronze medallist has a professional record of 20 wins, one loss, and 15 knockouts.
“I know the boxing world write me off in this fight, like he’s new Mike Tyson, young kid, young destroyer, but I believe in myself, and this is the biggest fight of my life,” Hrgović said.
While many are focusing on the world title at stake, Itauma says his mindset has not changed.
“I want to beat him as much as I did before the belt was on the line. Of course, it will be an honour. I’d love to be a world champion, but it’s about Filip Hrgovic himself,” he said.
Interestingly, this opportunity came sooner than many expected.
The fight became a world-title contest after Oleksandr Usyk vacated the IBF heavyweight belt and Frank Sanchez agreed to step aside, creating an opening that accelerated Itauma’s path to a championship fight.
Now, the unbeaten Nigerian-born boxer stands just one victory away from joining an exclusive list of heavyweight champions.
Whether he wins or loses, his rise from a young boxer with Nigerian roots to a fighter competing for a world heavyweight title at 21 shows how quickly talent, discipline, and con
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