Moses Itauma is a British professional heavyweight boxer of Nigerian and Slovakian heritage who has become one of the most closely watched young fighters in boxing.
At 21, Itauma is already 14-0 as a professional, with 12 victories by knockout. He turned professional in January 2023 after an unbeaten amateur career and has progressed unusually quickly through the heavyweight division.
His next fight is the biggest of his career.
On August 29, Itauma is scheduled to face Croatia’s Filip Hrgovic at London’s O2 Arena for the vacant IBF heavyweight title. The IBF lists the fight on its official schedule, while Reuters reports that the winner will fight for the world heavyweight championship.
A victory would take Itauma from highly rated contender to world champion and put him among the youngest heavyweight champions in boxing history.
| Information | Details |
|---|---|
| Full name | Moses Itauma |
| Professional name | Moses Itauma |
| Born | December 2004 |
| Birthplace | Kežmarok, Slovakia |
| Nationality | British |
| Heritage | Nigerian and Slovakian |
| Residence | Kent, England |
| Profession | Professional heavyweight boxer |
| Stance | Southpaw |
| Professional record | 14 wins, 0 losses, 12 KOs |
| Amateur record | 24 wins, 0 losses |
| Promoter | Queensberry Promotions |
| Trainer | Ben Davison |
| Major titles | WBO Inter-Continental, Commonwealth |
| Next fight | Filip Hrgovic |
| Fight date | August 29, 2026 |
| Venue | O2 Arena, London |
| Title at stake | Vacant IBF heavyweight championship |
Queensberry’s fighter profile lists Itauma at 14-0 with 12 knockouts and identifies him as a southpaw trained by Ben Davison. The same profile records his unbeaten amateur career and youth championship success.
How Old Is Moses Itauma?
Moses Itauma is 21 years old.
He was born in December 2004 in Kežmarok, a town in Slovakia. There is a minor discrepancy in Queensberry’s online profile, which displays both December 28 and December 29 in different parts of the same page. Because of that inconsistency, December 2004 is the safest formulation for an evergreen profile.
Is Moses Itauma Nigerian?
Yes, through his father.
Itauma was born in Slovakia to a Nigerian father and a Slovakian mother. His family moved to England when he was a child, and he grew up in Chatham, Kent. BBC Sport has reported extensively on his relationship with his Nigerian heritage.
That identity became more important to Itauma after he visited Nigeria toward the end of 2025.
He told BBC Sport that the trip helped him understand the significance of his African heritage, particularly after seeing the reaction he received from Nigerians at Lagos airport.
Itauma has previously described his background as giving him what he sees as a combination of qualities: physical strength from his Nigerian side and a particular toughness from his Slovakian upbringing.
For Nigerian boxing fans, that has made Itauma an increasingly interesting figure even though he boxes professionally as a British fighter.
Moses Itauma’s Early Life
Itauma was born in Kežmarok and moved with his family to Chatham when he was three.
He began boxing at nine after following his older brother, Karol Itauma, into the sport. His first experience was not particularly encouraging: Itauma has recalled disliking his first boxing session. He eventually stayed with it, and his ability became increasingly obvious during his teenage years.
His amateur career developed quickly.
Queensberry says Itauma finished with a 24-0 amateur record and won gold at the Schools, Juniors and Youth European Championships as well as the Heavyweight Youth World Championships. He was also a two-time national champion.
That background explains why his professional career began with unusually high expectations.
Moses Itauma’s Professional Boxing Career
Itauma turned professional in January 2023 at the age of 18.
His first fight came against Marcel Bode at Wembley Arena. Itauma won by first-round stoppage, immediately demonstrating the speed and power that would become central to his reputation.
He followed with another early stoppage against Ramon Alberto Ibarra before facing more experienced opponents.
One of the early milestones was his victory over veteran Polish heavyweight Mariusz Wach. Itauma stopped Wach in the second round and continued building his reputation as one of the division’s fastest-rising young fighters.
He later stopped Australian heavyweight Demsey McKean in the first round and continued to collect titles and increasingly significant victories.
The pattern was becoming clear: Itauma was not taking years to move through the domestic ranks.
He was moving through them in months.
Moses Itauma vs Dillian Whyte
The victory that significantly changed the perception of Itauma came against former world-title challenger Dillian Whyte in August 2025.
Itauma stopped Whyte in the first round in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, ending the fight at 1:59. The victory was one of the most emphatic wins of his young career and added the Commonwealth heavyweight title to his collection.
Whyte was 37 at the time, while Itauma was 20.
The result mattered less because of Whyte’s age than because of the experience gap. Whyte had already fought Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury and challenged for a world heavyweight championship.
Itauma needed less than two minutes to beat him.
That performance pushed the young boxer firmly into the conversation about the future of the heavyweight division.
Moses Itauma vs Jermaine Franklin
His next major test came against American heavyweight Jermaine Franklin on March 28, 2026.
Franklin had previously gone the distance with both Dillian Whyte and Anthony Joshua and had never been stopped in his first 26 professional fights.
Itauma stopped him in the fifth round with a clean uppercut, improving his professional record to 14-0 with 12 knockouts. BBC Sport described the victory as another major step toward the heavyweight elite.
The fight was important because it answered one criticism surrounding Itauma: whether his knockout record was largely the product of fighting opponents who could not adequately test him.
Franklin lasted longer than Itauma’s recent opponents, but the young heavyweight eventually broke him down.
Moses Itauma vs Filip Hrgovic
The Hrgovic fight is different.
Itauma has been moved into his first world-title opportunity against a 34-year-old Croatian who has spent considerably longer at the top level.
The vacant IBF heavyweight title is on the line at the O2 Arena in London. The IBF officially lists Itauma and Hrgovic on its August 29 schedule.
The stakes increased after Oleksandr Usyk relinquished the IBF championship, opening the route for the Itauma-Hrgovic fight to become a world-title contest.
The fight also creates a striking age contrast.
Itauma is 21.
Hrgovic is 34.
Itauma has the speed and youth. Hrgovic has considerably more experience.
The question is therefore no longer simply whether Itauma can knock opponents out quickly.
It is whether he can perform at championship level when confronted with a heavyweight who has the experience and physical maturity to take him into unfamiliar territory.
Experts have pointed to precisely that uncertainty. The Guardian’s assessment of Itauma praises his movement, intelligence, speed and power while identifying his ability to handle adversity over a longer fight as one of the remaining questions around him.
Why Moses Itauma Is Compared With Mike Tyson
The Mike Tyson comparison follows Itauma because of the combination of age, speed and knockout power.
Tyson became the youngest heavyweight world champion in history at 20.
Itauma cannot break that record, but a victory over Hrgovic would make him the second-youngest heavyweight world champion.
The comparison is also driven by Itauma’s unusually fast professional development.
After 14 professional fights, he has already stopped 12 opponents. Queensberry records his professional debut in January 2023 and his rapid movement through the heavyweight ranks.
But the Tyson comparison can also obscure an important difference.
Itauma is not simply a raw puncher.
Analysts have highlighted his movement, counter-punching, ring intelligence and ability to vary his attacks. That broader skill set is one reason some observers believe he could eventually become a leading heavyweight rather than simply a spectacular young knockout artist.
Who Is Moses Itauma’s Brother?
Moses Itauma’s older brother is Karol Itauma, a professional boxer who competed at light-heavyweight.
Karol was an important influence on Moses’s introduction to boxing. The two brothers joined Queensberry Promotions, with Moses following Karol into the professional ranks.
Their relationship is an important part of Moses’s story because boxing was not simply a sport he discovered independently. It entered the family through his older brother.
What Is Moses Itauma’s Boxing Record?
As of August 29, 2026, before his fight with Hrgovic, Moses Itauma’s professional record is:
14 wins — 0 losses — 12 knockouts.
Queensberry’s official fighter profile records the same 14-0, 12-KO record.
His most notable recent victories include:
- Dillian Whyte — TKO, Round 1
- Jermaine Franklin — TKO, Round 5
- Demsey McKean — TKO, Round 1
- Mariusz Wach — TKO, Round 2
The Franklin victory was particularly significant because Franklin had never previously been stopped.
What Titles Has Moses Itauma Won?
Before his first world-title opportunity, Itauma had already collected significant heavyweight titles.
He won the WBO Inter-Continental heavyweight title during his professional rise and later won the Commonwealth heavyweight championship after defeating Dillian Whyte. BoxRec’s Commonwealth title record lists Itauma as champion from August 16, 2025.
The IBF championship against Hrgovic is therefore the next major step rather than the beginning of his title career.
What Is Moses Itauma Known For?
Itauma is best known for three things: speed, knockout power and the pace of his rise.
He is a southpaw with fast hands and has frequently finished opponents before they have been able to establish their own rhythm. His record of 12 knockouts in 14 professional victories illustrates how often his fights have ended early.
But his growing reputation is increasingly based on more than power.
His movement, composure and ability to read opponents have attracted attention from boxing analysts, while his youth leaves considerable room for further development.
Why Moses Itauma Matters to Nigerians
Itauma’s Nigerian connection gives his rise an additional dimension.
He represents a generation of fighters whose careers cross national and cultural boundaries. He was born in Slovakia, raised in England and has increasingly embraced his Nigerian heritage.
His visit to Nigeria in 2025 appears to have strengthened that connection rather than merely providing a headline. BBC Sport reported that Itauma described the experience as helping him understand where part of his identity came from.
If he wins the IBF title, Nigeria will have another heavyweight of Nigerian heritage operating at the very top of global boxing.
That would put Itauma’s name alongside a long tradition of Nigerian and Nigerian-descended heavyweight fighters who have made an impact internationally.
What Comes Next for Moses Itauma?
Everything depends on Hrgovic.
A victory would make Itauma a world champion at 21 and immediately transform the scale of the fights available to him.
A defeat would not erase what he has achieved, but it would reveal how far he still has to develop before becoming the dominant heavyweight many observers expect him to become.
Either way, the Hrgovic fight is the point at which the Itauma story changes.
Until now, the central question has been:
How good could Moses Itauma become?
After the fight, the question will be more concrete:
Is Moses Itauma already good enough to rule the heavyweight division?
That is why the 21-year-old from Chatham, born to a Nigerian father in Slovakia, has become one of the most important young names in heavyweight boxing.
