- A British rising star will join Fury in camp ahead of his rematch with Usyk
- The heavyweight will appear on the undercard of the December 21 event
- The Gypsy King has described him as the future of the heavyweight division
Britain’s rising star Moses Itauma will join Tyson Fury in camp ahead of his rematch against Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia on December 21.
Usyk became the first undisputed world heavyweight champion of the four-belt era by stripping Fury of his WBC title in their first fight in May.
The pair will face each other for the second time in Saudi Arabia on December 21, with Itauma facing Demsey McKean on the undercard.
Itauma – who made headlines at the age of 19 – will join Fury in camp as one of his sparring partners ahead of the rematch.
Itauma said he is excited to measure his current level against the former world champion, but stressed he will reflect on his own preparations when he is in the ring.
Britain’s rising star Moses Itauma (right) will join Tyson Fury (left) in camp ahead of his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia on December 21
Usyk became the first undisputed world heavyweight champion of the four-belt era by stripping Fury of his WBC title in their first fight in May
The pair will face off for a second time in Saudi Arabia on December 21, with Itauma facing Demsey McKean on the undercard
Itauma – who has a professional record of 10-0 – told Sky Sports about the prospect of sparring the Gypsy King: “I have my own fight to think about.
He added: “We have kind of a similar style, like me and Usyk, we have a similar style, so I feel like I’ll be very useful.
‘It just compliments me. It compliments me, but listen, I’m not going there just to help him. I want to measure my ability against his ability. Of course I’m looking forward to it [that].’
This won’t be the first time Itauma has sparred with the 36-year-old; he previously shared the ring with the Gypsy King before the original date for Fury’s first fight with Usyk.
Speaking about his experience sparring Fury, Itauma said: “Whether it was inside or outside the ring, I definitely learned a lot from being in camp with Tyson.
‘Outside the ring, [it is about] maybe find a balance in life. Inside the ring you’re a little more patient, a little calmer, and you don’t try to kill everyone. People have withdrawn from fighting with me and I don’t blame them.
This won’t be the first time Itauma has sparred with the 36-year-old; he previously shared the ring with the Gypsy King before the original date for Fury’s first fight with Usyk
Itauma said he is excited to measure his current level against the former world champion, but stressed he will reflect on his own preparations when he is in the ring.
‘If I were in their shoes, I would withdraw too. I wouldn’t want to fight me either. [But] I have to show it. It’s all good that everyone is talking about it, but I actually have to support it.’
He also revealed more about what it was like to spare the Gypsy King during an interview with talkSPORT following Fury’s clash with Francis Ngannou fight.
Itauma said: ‘Obviously I was in Tyson’s camp, he was very Marmite in sparring. Some days he had done well, but some days he had been incredible.
“It honestly depends on which version of Fury shows up. If whoever is sparring on good days shows up, he will have a very easy night with Usyk.
‘As I say, he is very Marmite, he could have a bad day in sparring and I feel like the fight with Francis Ngannou was a very bad day.’
Meanwhile, Fury has a high opinion of Itauma. He once described Itauma as the “future of the heavyweight division” and said he would be “crazy” to consider fighting the 19-year-old.
Itauma is known for his devastating power and his ability to knock out his opponents
Fury uploaded a photo of him and Itauma in the ring after a sparring session ahead of his first fight with Usyk: ‘@m.itauma (Moses Itauma) is the future of the heavyweight division.’
Fury also made a hilarious comment when TNT asked him if Itauma could be one of his possible opponents. He said, “No, I certainly wouldn’t do that [accept a fight with Itauma]! Do you think I’m stupid? No, no no.”