Itauma names the heavyweight he considers the most promising.
Moses Itauma was considered something very special virtually from the day he turned professional. Since then, his number of fans and believers has only grown, having marked himself out as the most promising young heavyweight in the world.
Still only 21 years old, Itauma is unbeaten in all 14 of his professional contests. 12 of those have ended inside the distance, and the two that haven’t have been 6-round affairs.
In fact, those two occasions Itauma entered the 6th round remain the furthest he has gone in a fight, and he hasn’t even been that far since 2023 (the year he turned professional).
The man who almost got him that far was Jermaine Franklin, the durable American who Itauma clocked to the canvas in five rounds this March.
Now Itauma finds himself on the cusp of glory, as he will be fighting Filip Hrgovic for the vacant IBF title this month. But when naming other heavyweight up-and-comers, he mentioned a few, but singled one out in particular to achieve big things in the future.
“I like Leo Atang. He’s very decent and is a nice kid, as well”, Itauma told a media roundtable. “I like Adam Olaniyan, too, the guy who has just signed with Queensberry. I watched his fight the other day, and he’s very good, as well.
“Obviously, Teremoana [Teremoana] looks decent, too. That’s probably who I’m looking at from the young guns coming up.
“But there’s one kid, though, from Germany–his name is Nikita Putilov–who is still an amateur, but when he turns pro, he will be good.
“I’ve sparred him a few times, and every time I’ve sparred him, he’s given me very good work.”
The 23-year-old Putilov won the 2024 World Boxing Cup and is considered by some to be a potential medallist in the upcoming 2028 Summer Olympics.
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