ANTHONY YARDE has been in Moses Itauma’s corner since the heavyweight prodigy was just 13 – when they were already the same height.
Itauma debuted at 18 and without even throwing a professional punch was dubbed Britain’s answer to a prime Mike Tyson.
SunSport Anthony Yarde on SunSport’s No Glove Lost show[/caption]
GettyMoses Itauma has formed a friendship with Yarde[/caption]
He won all 24 of his amateur bouts – 11 by knockout – and has now built up a 12-0 record in the paid ranks.
Light-heavyweight star Anthony Yarde has followed Itauma’s career closely – even dating back to his amateur domination.
Yarde actually met a teenage Itauma – who was the same height as the 6ft Beast From the East at the time – when he was just a boy with his brother Karol.
The very first pro boxing fight Itauma saw up close was one of Yarde’s – and the two have formed a friendship since.
Yarde, 34, said on SunSport’s latest No Glove Lost episode: “Since I’ve met Moses, I’ve had a good relationship with him.
“He’s always given me a lot of credit, we speak on Instagram quite a bit.
“What’s funny as well yeah, after the fight, not his last one the one before that, I messaged him saying congratulations, he looked sensational.
“And he said, ‘I’m gonna send you something.’ So I’m waiting for him to send me something and he sends me a picture of me and a little boy.
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Moses Itauma vs Dillian Whyte – all the info
One of the biggest fights of the year has arrived
The highly-touted Moses Itauma faces the biggest test of his fledgling career as he steps into the ring with Dillian Whyte on Saturday night.
Itauma, 20, has great expectations on his shoulders – he has been compared to Mike Tyson and is expected by many to dominate boxing’s heavyweight division over the next decade.
But the Slovakian-born star – who sits at 12-0 (10KOs) is yet to face a test anywhere close to what Whyte can offer.
The Body Snatcher is now 37 and has not looked great in his last couple of fights, but the former world title challenger knows an upset win would catapult him right back to the top table.
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“It was a little boy but he’s older than me and I’m like, ‘Hold on. That’s you and your brother.’
“And he’s like, ‘Yeah, I was 13.’ But he’s 13 years old and the same height as me.
“And I said, ‘Wow.’ I remember taking that picture with two young boys. Crazy.”
Itauma steps up for his biggest test to date on Saturday night against Dillian Whyte live on DAZN PPV from Riyadh.
The 20-year-old has looked faultless in his short pro career – going the distance twice in six-round contests.
And Itauma has brushed aside any comparisons to Tyson – who became the youngest heavyweight champion ever aged 20 in 1986.
But Yarde revealed the red-hot prospect did have a genuine burning desire to break Iron Mike’s record.
Yarde said: “He’s looked amazing in his professional fights, he looked amazing as an amateur, I’ve seen him in the gym, he’s looked amazing.
“From what I’ve seen so far he’s the real deal. It does come with a lot of pressure and I feel like he’s got the character to deal with it.
“He’s very laid back, reserved, he did want to do the whole Mike Tyson thing because I was sitting ringside with him one time and we were talking.
From what I’ve seen so far he’s the real deal. It does come with a lot of pressure and I feel like he’s got the character to deal with it.
Anthony Yarde on Moses Itauma
“We were at a boxing event, I was sitting right next to him and he said he wanted to beat Mike Tyson’s record.
“This was when he was 18, and I said, ‘That’s a task though. Hold on, that’s in about nine months!’
“And he said, ‘If they can get me the right fights, I’ll do it.’ But he injured his hand in the next fight, so it wasn’t written.”
Yarde also shares a friendship with Whyte – finding himself struggling to pick sides in the fight.
Whyte, 37, had two underwhelming comebacks wins last year in Ireland in Gibraltar having been out of the ring since 2022.
He was due to rematch Anthony Joshua – who he lost to in 2015 – back in August 2023 but he was pulled out after returning an “adverse finding” in his pre-fight drug test.
The test was later put down to “contamination” from a supplement – so Whyte continued his career overseas beating Christian Hammer and Ebenezer Tetteh.
It leaves him as the underdog against Itauma – who Yarde was forced to admit is at least the obvious favourite.
Yarde, being pressured to make a predicition by fellow guest panellist Derek Chisora, said: “It’s one of those questions, I don’t want to answer it!
“On paper, with the credentials and recent performances, you’d have to go Moses.”
sunsport Yarde was pushed to make a prediction by Derek Chisora and trainer Mark Tibbs[/caption]
GettyDillian Whyte takes on Itauma in Riyadh[/caption] Creator – [#item_custom_dc:creator]
