Moses Itauma (L) will fight Jermaine Franklin Jr. on Saturday. Queensberry/Leigh Dawney
Moses Itauma has said he doesn’t see any similarities between himself and Mike Tyson aside from the face they both love knockouts.
British heavyweight Itauma (13-0, 11 KOs) has been compared to a young Tyson given the emphatic start to his career.
Itauma has gone past Round 2 just twice in his 13 fights — fighting just 26 rounds since turning professional in 2023 — but is set to face a step up against Jermaine Franklin Jr. in Manchester on Saturday.
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While Tyson fought more often, climbing to 13-0 inside the first 12 months of his career, Itauma’s rise has been impressive nonetheless.
However, the 21-year-old said outside their appetite for flooring opponents, there are few similarities between him and Tyson.
“I like it and I don’t [comparisons], because obviously it’s great to be compared to such a legend in the sport, but like you guys [media] mentioned, the comparison is success at a young age,” Itauma said.
“Apart from that, there’s not really much to say that we’re very similar. I guess we’re kind of a polar opposite. I guess we both just love knockouts.”
While Itauma tends to shy away from the comparison, promoter Frank Warren is convinced he hasn’t seen a young heavyweight make as much of an impact on the division so early in their career since Tyson.
“I just think the only one you can compare in terms of impact is Mike Tyson. I can’t think of anybody else, but they’re different guys,” Warren said.
“They’re different personalities, different fighters … The comparison is the age, and I suppose in the explosive power that they’ve over got.
“You look at the quality of the opposition he [Tyson] was fighting in his first 14 fights … Nowhere near what Moses is fighting.
“Moses, we’ve jumped him forward a bit … And he’s delivered. He’s an exceptional talent but there are a couple of question marks: Stamina and whiskers, his chin.”
