Moses Itauma blew away Dillian Whyte with a devastating first-round knockout in their all-British heavyweight clash in Riyadh.
The 20-year-old extended his perfect record through 13 professional fights as he sent veteran Whyte sprawling to the canvas inside two minutes. It was Itauma's 11th KO win and his eighth inside a round.
Former WBC interim heavyweight champion Whyte, 37, was not given any time to settle as Itauma – who had been made to wait in the ring by a delayed walk-in from his British rival – immediately went on the front foot.
Kent southpaw Itauma tested Whyte with a series of early jabs before more ruthless combinations sent him back on to the ropes.
Another powerful right hook sent Whyte crashing to the floor and although he stumbled back on to his feet, the referee stepped in to wave off the contest with just over a minute left of the first round.
On the back of another hugely impressive display, the calls will continue to grow for Slovakia-born Itauma to be handed a world title shot in 2026.
“That’s what I’ve been drilling for 12, 13 weeks,” Itauma told the BBC. “I have trained hard for this [so] I didn’t want it to be over in the first round.
“I put on a performance for you guys, so it’s now who’s next?
“I don’t want to call out [undisputed world heavyweight champion Oleksandr] Usyk because I don’t believe I deserve the opportunity – but guys that do deserve the opportunity, I want to fight those lot.
“So maybe Agit Kabayel, maybe Joseph Parker. Maybe them type of names. As of right now, I am going to rest and then maybe be back in the gym.”
Itauma seemed irked as Whyte left him hanging around in the ring for several minutes as he walked second in the Saudi capital. Designed to unsettle the youngster, the move failed to have the desired effect and it was one-way traffic from the first bell.
Whyte, who failed to land a single blow of any note, has been inactive and is likely looking at the end of a career that saw him once challenge Tyson Fury for the heavyweight title.
Long tipped by pundits as a future champion, Itauma's latest success – the most significant of his young career – will only increase the hype.
Speaking afterwards, veteran promoter Frank Warren said he is among the top talents he has ever worked with.
“Without a doubt [he's one of the best prospects],” he told Dazn. "He's done everything we've asked, and how he's done it, he's the most unbelievable finisher.
“If he catches you, you're in trouble. You think about the three losses on Dillian's record, they're world champions, real quality fighters, guys who have been at the top of the game.
“In one round, he caught him. The game plan from [trainer] Ben [Davison] and the team, they got it absolutely perfect. I thought it would be a bit longer than that.
“But he's done it in style. He's a phenomenal finisher. He catches you. He doesn't get flustered. He' gets space on his shots, he doesn't fall into the opponent.
“Every shot he throws is a hurtful punch, a well-measured punch. He's an unbelievable talent, probably one of the best at this stage of his career that I've ever been involved with.”
