Moses Itauma Smokes Dillian Whyte, A Heavyweight Star Is Born Saturday

Consider me firmly aboard the hype train in a first-class seat. A heavyweight star was born Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and his name is Moses Itauma.

Stepping up to face 37-year-old veteran Dillian Whyte, Itauma of Chatham, Kent (13-0, 11 KOs) did what no other opponent has done to Whyte. Not Tyson Fury, not Anthony Joshua, not Parker or Povetkin. Itauma dropped and stopped Whyte in a shade under two minutes of the first round.

It was a hard right hook that closed the show for Moses Itauma. Photo: Leigh Dawney/Queensberry

“The Body Snatcher” initially protested as referee Mikael Hook waved off the fight at 1:59, but it was the right call. Whether we see Whyte of Brixton in London (31-4, 21 KOs) in the ring again is hard to say. Whyte left under his own power without comment.

Dillian Whyte struggled to his feet, but the fight was over and it was the right call. Photo: Leigh Dawney/Queensberry

Itauma was expected to win, but not like this. It was a shocking display of speed, accuracy, power, and above all, maturity in the ring.

The Fight Plan in Two Minutes

An almost sheepish Itauma grinned as he described how it happened. He said initially he saw Whyte came out exactly as trainer Ben Davison had told him, and he needed to execute what Davison was telling him to do. Itauma appeared composed, but confessed it wasn’t exactly so.

Moses Itauma sized up Dillian Whyte quickly, aided by the game plan of trainer Ben Davison. Photo: Leigh Dawney/Queensberry

“But it’s just, the fire, nerves whatnot, kicked in. And then after maybe like the first minute, I was like, okay, cool. I keep seeing this happen. I can’t miss it. So, yeah, man, execute the game plan,” said Itauma.

Itauma settled in during the first minute of the fight, judging the range and stabbing Whyte straight to the solar plexus several times. Whyte attempted to land jabs but was falling well short of Itauma.

Moses Itauma took a page out of “The Body Snatcher’s” book, landing hard shots to Dillian Whyte’s breadbasket. Photo: Leigh Dawney/Queensberry

Then all hell broke loose. Itauma backed Whyte up, starting with a sharp left hook to the body, following by a left jab and another stabbing body shot. The speed was surpassed only by the accuracy.

Itauma then landed another quick left, followed by a vicious right hook, and Whyte was in trouble. He tried to put up his guard, but he was a sitting duck. Itauma landed the same snapping left and hard right hook combination. Whyte’s legs crumbled beneath him.

Dillian Whyte made a valiant veteran’s Photo: Leigh Dawney/Queensberry

Itauma is already one of the best closers in boxing. He moved in with a right hook to the body straight out of Whyte’s own playbook. Itauma began mixing hooks upstairs and downstairs. Whyte tried to escape to the left along the ropes, but finally had to stand his ground. Itauma didn’t rush his shots. He measured Whyte for a moment, tapped him with a left hand and drilled him to the head with the right hook that closed the show.

Whyte fell forward, hard on the canvas. To his credit, he struggled to his feet as referee Mikael Hook waved off the fight.

Dillian Whyte left the arena on his own two feet. It’s hard to say whether fans will see him in the ring again. Photo: Leigh Dawney/Queensberry

Watch the final minute of Itauma vs Whyte.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Future of the Heavyweight Division… 𝐌𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐒 𝐈𝐓𝐀𝐔𝐌𝐀 🥊#ItaumaWhyte pic.twitter.com/thmZFRBd0a

— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) August 16, 2025

As Whyte said his thank yous to his team, promoter Frank Warren of Queensberry and the Saudis, he thanked his opponent known as “The Body Snatcher,” Dillian Whyte. “If it wasn’t for him, it takes two to tango. So thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to showcase my skills,” said Itauma.

It isn’t merely his punching power, speed, or youth. It isn’t his charisma and interviewing skills. It is the maturity in the ring Itauma displays that sets him far ahead of his boxing peers at this age, and perhaps at any age.

Later after the fight, Itauma said Whyte was intended to give him some rounds. “Same as Marius Wach, same as Dempsey McKean. I don’t want to be big headed or anything, but that’s really not my fault.”

Itauma denied he is an overnight success. “I’ve been boxing since I was nine years old, over half my life. It might seem like it’s been an overnight success, but this is 11 years in the making, and it’s still the beginning.”

The Dilemma of What’s Next For Moses Itauma

Moses Itauma is eerily mature at just 20 years old. It will be hard not to move him too quickly. Photo Leigh Dawney/Queensberry

Asked who he’d like to fight next, including undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk, Itauma was smart to play to the crowd, asking them about some of the potential opponents present in Riyadh, including Usyk’s WBO mandatory challenger, interim champion Joseph Parker, and the WBC mandatory challenger, interim champion Agit Kabayel. “Joseph Parker and Agit Kabayel do deserve the shot, but tuck me in there as well,” said Itauma.

Asked whether he was surprised by Itauma’s performance, Warren laughed and said, “I gotta be honest, shit. Yeah, I was. I thought it’d be a bit longer than that.

“He’s a phenomenal finisher. He catches you, and he doesn’t get flustered. He gets space on his shots. He doesn’t fall into the opponent. Every shot he throws is a hurtful punch, and it’s a well-measured punch. Unbelievable boxing talent, probably one of the best, if not the best, at this stage of his career, I’ve ever been involved with,” said Warren.

Later during a brief post-fight news conference, Warren declared Itauma the single best fighter he’s ever been involved with. That covers a 40 year history. “I watched the fight back. It was punch perfect. I can’t think of any fighters who’ve done this, at this stage, at his age. Over the moon with it.”

Andy Lee Weighs In On Itauma’s Future

On the DAZN broadcast working as a commentator, former world champion and trainer Andy Lee was asked what he’d do with Itauma moving forward.

“It’s difficult,” said Lee. Speaking to Frank Warren, Lee added, “I don’t envy you, because he is so young, anybody’s so talented, and he’s gone through these guys like a hot knife through butter. But once you step up to that level of the top 10 fighters in the world, you kind of open a door you can’t return from,” said Lee.

Joseph Parker says he and trainer Andy Lee are ready for anyone. Does that include Moses Itauma? Photo: Mark Robinson, Matchroom Boxing

Lee elaborated that it’s a tricky thing to navigate, especially in the heavyweight division where a loss is usually by knockout, which could crush Itauma’s future career.

“He’s not ready for it … But I’ve said always, your talent dictates the pace you move in, and he’s got all the talent in the world. He might need a little bit more experience, but it’s a risk and reward, isn’t it? It’s a roll of the dice.

“You know, one bad mistake in the heavyweight division, one bad move could cost your career. So it is a risky game,” said Lee, adding that Itauma is in good hands with the veteran promoter Warren. Warren said Itauma would likely return to Riyadh, but could also fight at home in London. Itauma promised he would fight again at least one more time in 2025, “100 percent.”

Itauma said, “All these fights can happen. Man, what’s next? I’m 20 years old. I’m only 20 years old. I’ve got maybe ten, 15 years left in this career. So, man, there’s gonna be a lot of this face around. I’m just happy to be able to put on a performance for you guys.”

Warren promised Itauma would fight an opponent ranked in the top ten before the end of 2025.

At the news conference, Itauma said, “I’m always going to be under pressure. I’m a 20-year-old doing well. Some people don’t like to see me do well, some people do. I just have to keep doing me.” Itauma said he’s still wrapping his head around hearing announcer Michael Buffer say his name, “from Chatham, Kent!”

Itauma said when he went back to his dressing room, “I saw my phone blow up! I could stand to get a new number,” he laughed.

Asked whether he’s prepared for stardom, Itauma replied, “I don’t know, but I don’t think it’s something I can avoid. I’ve never been a person to focus on that. My goal has never been to be a superstar… If I don’t box, I feel out of place. I’m chasing that thing that I’ve always had as a little kid. That’s just to be a fighter, and everything else kind of falls into place.”

With so many other events fighting for attention in the United States, including a UFC PPV, Little League World Series, baseball pennant races, and summer, this fight card was a hard sell with a $49.99 price tag. It’s possible fewer than 5,000 people were watching live in the United States. But those of us who coughed up the pricetag got the thrill of seeing this bit of boxing history unfold live, and it was worth every dime.

READ MORE: Undercard Recap: Filip Hrgovic Survives, Ray Ford Thrives in Riyadh

Nick Ball Rolls Past Sam Goodman

Nick Ball retained his WBA World Featherweight title over Sam Goodman. Photo: Leigh Dawney/Queensberry

WBA World Featherweight Champion Nick “Wrecking” Ball of Liverpool (23-0-1, 13 KOs) got a stiffer than expected challenge from Sam Goodman of Australia (20-1, 8 KOs), giving fans 12 rounds of action before hearing scorecards in the champion’s favor of 118-110, 117-111, 115-113.

Nick Ball felt it wasn’t his best performance but did what was needed to defeat Sam Goodman. Photo: Leigh Dawney/Queensberry

Watching the fight in real time, it seemed closer through ten rounds, with Ball stepping up the pressure on Goodman and pulling away to win. The two stood in front of each other as expected to trade their best. What might not have been expected was the drive and accuracy of Goodman, and the solid chins both men displayed in the fight.

No one throws a finer uppercut than Nick Ball. His height puts him in ideal position. Photo: Leigh Dawney/Queensberry

Ball is the master of the uppercut, given his height disadvantage against most opponents, and he landed plenty. But Goodman never seemed wobbled. He will be disappointed by the loss, but he gained in reputation and will get more title chances down the line.

Sam Goodman gave Nick Ball a taste of his own uppercut medicine. Photo: Leigh Dawney/Queensberry

“It wasn’t probably the best performance of mine, honest opinion” said Ball. But we got the job done, and still champion, yeah … Fan friendly yeah, that’s what it’s all about.”

Ball said his championship experience allowed him to pull clear of Goodman. Moving forward, Ball said he’ll “keep banging” and look to fight the other champions in the division. Seeing Ball at five-foot-two standing in front of WBC champion Rafael Espinoza at six-foot-one is too intriguing to pass up. But we’d love a matchup with IBF champion Angelo Leo of Albuquerque in Las Vegas.

Hayato Tsutsumi Unloads on Qais Ashfaq

Hayoto Tsutsumi dropped Qais Ashfaq three times before stopping him in the third round. Photo: Leigh Dawney/Queensberry

Japanese junior lightweight prospect Hayato Tsutsumi (8-0, 4 KOs) went through former Olympian Qais Ashfaq of Leeds, England (13-4-1, 5 KOs) like a knife through butter, forcing a referee stoppage after three knockdowns at 2:08 of the third round.

Hayoto Tsutsumi had way too much firepower for Qais Ashfaq. Photo: Leigh Dawney/Queensberry

After warming up in the first round, Tsutsumi put Ashfaq on the canvas with a body shot near the end of the second round. Ashfaq was damaged goods coming out for the third round. Credit to the man from Leeds for his courage, as he got up from two more knockdowns. Taking punishment, the referee saved Ashfaq from himself. Tsutsumi did what was expected of him, but it was entertaining to watch nevertheless.