‘Usyk may be the best ever, but he’s never faced anyone like Moses Itauma!’
Moses Itauma’s trainer Ben Davison says his fighter is ready for any heavyweight on the planet, and that includes Oleksandr Usyk, who he describes as ‘the best of a generation, if not the best ever at the weight class.’
Itauma, just 20 years old, faces former world title challenger Dillian Whyte this weekend. While many have speculated about Whyte’s form after a patchy run of activity, Davison stressed that Team Itauma has prepared for the toughest version possible.
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“We’d be foolish to take the fight based on his last performance and his coming in the same shape. It was never going to happen,” Davison said in Saudi Arabia.
“As he said, he’s had loads of things going on, lots of inactivity, but he’s clearly gotten himself in shape. Moses is not the type of fighter who we have to bank on catching people at the right time.
“He’s good enough to mix with any of them at any point. We’ve prepared for Dillian to turn up as the best Dillian possible, and if we hadn’t, it’s too late now.”
Whyte’s challenge
Davison pinpointed Whyte’s experience as the key threat to Itauma’s perfect record.
“It’s his experience. He’s a big, strong guy, plenty of heart, and can punch. He brings all of those things to the table. That doesn’t change, no matter what condition he shows up in,” pointed out Davison.
“People keep saying if it goes into a dog fight. But I’ve seen Moses, the young man, can fight up close as well, and you’ve got to have that in the locker.
“If you’re going to mix it up at this level, you have to have that in the locker. So if the fight goes that way, I wouldn’t be shocked for it to go still how we expect.”
Relentless in the gym
Davison was glowing about Itauma’s approach to training, hailing him as one of the sport’s most dedicated students.
“There’s nobody that I think ‘well, he’s not ready for him,’ but it’s risk versus reward. That fight might be just as tough as this fight, but that fight has got more reward to it.
“He is one of the hardest workers you’ll come across. In the gym, outside the gym, studying the sport, making sure he’s learning what we’re teaching him, session after session. That’s the real talent.”
Itauma has shown that work ethic has in the gym with scenarios designed to push the teenager to his limits.
“My job is to have him prepared if the fight goes that way. It’s alright to say ‘oh, we want it to go this way,’ but we have to be prepared if things do not go according to plan.
“I’ve brought guys in and put him in situations where it’s supposed to get tough, and he ends up backing them up, walking them down, battering them.”
The Usyk question
With Itauma being fast-tracked, the inevitable Oleksandr Usyk question arises.
“We’re solely focused on Saturday, but what I have said already is that there is not a fighter where I go, ‘I don’t like that,’” said Davison.
That includes the reigning heavyweight king.
“I just think it’s a win-win. You’re getting the chance to face the best of a generation, if not the best ever, at the weight class. And as much as Moses hasn’t shared the ring with somebody like Usyk, I truly, honestly don’t think Usyk has shared the ring with someone like Moses.”
For Davison, the path is clear: keep winning, keep learning, and be ready for when those biggest nights arrive.
Whether it’s Whyte, Usyk, or anyone in between, the message is the same: Moses Itauma is coming for them all.
