That's a big step up!

Ben Davison believes Moses Itauma is ready for a real test on Saturday - just not the two-round formality some expect. Itauma headlines on DAZN PPV at ANB Arena in Riyadh against veteran contender Dillian Whyte, a matchup Davison calls “a big step up” that should earn plaudits if the 20-year-old ends it early. “If any other heavyweight was boxing Dillian Whyte, no one would be calling it a one- or two-round job,” Davison said. “If that happens here, [Moses] deserves credit.”

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The numbers fuel hype but also caution. Itauma’s 83% KO ratio has seen him crush Mariusz Wach, Demsey McKean and Mike Balogun - five knockdowns across his last three starts, with Wach and Balogun done in two and McKean in one. Yet Whyte’s three defeats - Anthony Joshua, Alexander Povetkin, Tyson Fury - came at the sport’s summit; he avenged Povetkin and has since posted wins over Jermaine Franklin, Christian Hammer and Ebeneezer Tetteh. “It’s a great chance to show where he’s at,” Davison added. “But it’s a big step up as well.”

Davison says the camp has focused on sharpening Itauma’s identity: solid fundamentals first, then “branches” off that trunk. Rounds would help - Itauma has boxed just 25 as a pro to Whyte’s near-200 - but they’ve been hard to find given the youngster’s power and tempo. “It would do him the world of good,” Davison admitted, while noting the team’s ring IQ work to prevent late-fight issues before they arise.

Talk of Oleksandr Usyk will linger - Itauma is WBO No. 1, WBA No. 2, IBF No. 6, WBC No. 11 - but Davison stresses timing over rushing. “There isn’t anybody I’d hesitate to put him in with,” he said, “but some fights make more sense than others.” First comes Whyte: a name, a benchmark, and - for a 20-year-old phenom - exactly the kind of proving ground that can turn buzz into substance.

Image Credit: Sky Sports