The consensus among many in the boxing world is that Moses Itauma will beat Dillian Whyte on Saturday; potentially comfortably.
Both men feel that’s perhaps a bit naive.
Itauma (12-0, 10 KOs) was the instant favourite when the fight was announced and remains so. The 20-year-old has been dubbed the next star of the heavyweight division but in Whyte, 37, he will face an opponent who has seen it all and been in with almost every top fighter of his generation.
To give some context on the age gap, too, the first fight Itauma watched where he had a full grasp of who both fighters were was Whyte against Anthony Joshua in 2015. He was 10 years old.
Since then, Itauma has stormed through all 12 opponents to start his career, but faces by far his biggest challenge to date against the veteran Whyte on Saturday.
“What people don’t realise is boxing Dillian White is a big deal,” Itauma told media ahead of the bout in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
“People don’t realise I’m boxing Dillian Whyte at 20 years old. That’s a huge deal and people are not giving me credit for that, but I guess I’m not here for a pats on the back am I?”
As he has risen through the ranks, the noise around Itauma has grown, but he doesn’t hear the pundits or feel the pressure.
He remains tunnel vision on his goal of wining a world title.
So much so, it sometimes keeps him up at night.
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“You know have that period of time before you fall asleep … of just that emptiness and it’s like the first thought that comes to my mind is the most important thing on my life right now and that would be winning this fight,” Itauma explains.
“I’m still a kid, I ain’t got no responsibilities, you know what I mean? So … obviously the thing that just comes to my mind is Dillian Whyte. How are we going to beat him? It’s just that scenario I play it over in my head: ‘OK cool, if he does this, I’m going to do this so I can exploit that.’
“It’s not something that’s like, it’s keeping me up, I’m worried, I’m afraid. It’s not that. It’s just the fact that I’m planning the scenarios in my head.”
What does he see when he closes his eyes and thinks of the fight?
“I think of a scary, mean looking guy who’s ready to take my head off because I feel like that’s what he’s going to do,” Itauma says. “I’m ranked No. 1 with the WBO, so a win against me is going to put him maybe in contention with a rematch with Joseph Parker.
“I don’t really know what Dillian Whyte is going to come, but I’m imagining the best one because this is this last time to get back in the mix and earn some big money.”
For his part, Whyte is used to playing the role of the underdog but ‘the body snatcher’ is still more than capable of inflicting some damage.
His career has been at a near standstill in the last three years and he’s itching to be back in big fights.
Some have questioned why he took the fight against such a young, dangerous opponent. Whyte revealed Derek Chisora was one of those who questioned if it was the right move. Chisora himself turned down the fight.
But it’s all about risk vs. reward.
“If you want to go to heaven, you shouldn’t be scared to die because that’s the only way you’re going to get there,” Whyte says.
“My mindset just, you know what, no one wants to fight Moses. He’s a great fighter, he’s young, he’s sharp, he’s full of beans … but yeah, you have to believe in yourself and take risks man.”
He also still harbors dreams of winning a belt.
If, when he was a child growing up in south London, you told him he would get anywhere close to a title, he probably would have laughed in your face.
But here he is.
“I’d love to win the real [world] title. If I can win the real title, then I’ve had an amazing career,” he told media.
“I had a [interim] version of it. If you can win the full title, then people that come from my background and where I’ve come from … for me, that’s an amazing story to inspire people.