It’s well known that Moses Itauma has been picking on his elders since he was a teenager, with stories of him turning up to spar the likes of Lawrence Okolie in his school uniform and leaving with the experienced fighter wondering what on earth just hit him.
But former British heavyweight champion, Jeamie TKV, has now claimed that he watched an 11-year-old Itauma “beat the hell out of someone who was 26”.
The unverified revelation, courtesy of the Corner Talk podcast, comes in the week that Itauma met his next opponent, Filip Hrgovic, in London ahead of their August 29 showdown.
While Itauma doing that at the age of 11 seems unlikely what is true is that all boxers who faced a teenage Itauma in a sparring ring have admitted the youngster gave them hell.
Including TKV himself who first sparred Itauma several years later.
“I didn’t spar him until he was 16 and the day before that I did around eight rounds with Fabio Wardley,” he remembered.
“Then Moses told me he had nobody to spar him and asked if I would help.”
TKV, now a gymmate of Itauma’s with coach Ben Davison in Harlow, soon wished he hadn’t.
“I was getting hit with shots from all different angles and atmosphere, he was too fast.
“The next time I sparred him, the night before I ate and slept right, as if I was preparing for a proper fight, I made sure I rested and had a better spar the second time. But the first time was bad.”
