Dillian Whyte will face Moses Itauma in a big British heavyweight battle in Riyadh on August 16, it has been confirmed.
Former WBC Interim champion Whyte, 37, will face rising star Itauma, who is undefeated with 10 knockout wins in 12 fights.
Nick Ball will defend his WBA featherweight title against Sam Goodman as the co-main event, while there will also be a junior lightweight fight between former champions Anthony Cacace and Raymond Ford.
Filip Hrgovic against David Adeleye, and Hayato Tsutaumi against Quais Ashfaq, complete the August 16 bill at the event connected to the Esports World Cup, which is being held in the Saudi Arabian city.
Whyte, who has defeated Joseph Parker, Derek Chisora and Oscar Rivas, is a sizeable step up for unbeaten 20-year-old Itauma.
The exciting prospect is a phenomenal prospect who’s scarcely put a foot wrong so far in his professional career, and he’s still young especially for a heavyweight.
In May Itauma made quick work of the 21-1 Mike Balogun. On the undercard of Tyson Fury’s rematch with Oleksandr Usyk, Itauma scythed through Demsey McKean, regarded as a fringe world level operator, in just one round and also last year blasted away the normally durable heavyweight gatekeeper Mariusz Wach.
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Speaking on the Toe2Toe podcast before the fight was confirmed, promoter Frank Warren responded to speculation that elite heavyweight prospect Moses Itauma’s next fight could be Dillian Whyte
Whyte represents another marker for the young phenom. London’s Whyte is a former world title challenger who’s boxed some of the best in the division.
He lost a WBC world title fight to Tyson Fury at Wembley stadium, had a thrilling grudge match with Anthony Joshua for the British title a decade ago and has also had exciting bouts with Parker, now the WBO Interim titlist, and Chisora.
Whyte failed a drug test ahead of a scheduled rematch with Joshua but was cleared to return to action in Gibraltar last December when he overcame Ebenezer Tetteh.
