Blink and you might have missed it. Moses Itauma blew away Dillian Whyte with a devastating first-round knockout in their all-British heavyweight clash in Riyadh.
The 20-year-old extended his perfect record through 13 professional fights as he sent veteran Whyte sprawling to the canvas inside two minutes.
In the aftermath of the referee calling this whirlwind fight, the crowd could be heard calling for Itauma to take on the undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk. Talking to DAZN, he said: “I will fight anyone they put in front of me,” however later clarified that he felt deserved a shot at some of the contenders in the division first.
It was a savage finish. Former WBC interim heavyweight champion Whyte, 37, was not given any time to settle as Itauma – who had been made to wait in the ring by a delayed walk-in from his British rival – immediately went on the front foot.
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – August 16, 2025 Moses Itauma in action against Dillian Whyt Moses Itauma immediately went on the front foot against Whyte Credit: Reuters/Hamad I Mohammed The Chatham southpaw tested Whyte with a flurry of early jabs before more precision shot combinations sent him back onto the ropes.
Another powerful right hook sent Whyte crashing to the floor and although he stumbled back onto his feet, the referee stepped in to wave off the contest with just over a minute left of the first round.
On the back of another hugely impressive display, the calls will continue to grow for Slovakia-born Itauma to be handed a world title shot in 2026. Talking to BBC 5Live after the fight, Itauma said: “I don’t want to call out Usyk because I don’t believe I deserve the opportunity but guys that do deserve the opportunity, I want to fight those lot. So maybe Agit Kabayel, maybe Joseph Parker. Maybe them type of names.”
Moses Itauma pose for a photo with the belts after the WBO Inter-Continental Heavyweight title fight between Moses Itauma and Dillian Whyte on the ESports World Cup fight night at the ANB arena on August 16, 2025 in Riyadh Itauma will now fancy some of the bigger names Credit: Getty Images/Richard Pelham On the talent he has on his hands, Itauma’s trainer Ben Davison said: “I saw it coming. It’s extremely hard [to] go rounds with him. I’ve seen him in the gym break people down on the front foot. Dillian Whyte, British boxing legend, cons are that we’re still trying to get them rounds.”
