Moses Itauma identifies amateur bout against Aloys Youmbi as toughest

Moses Itauma has identified a 2019 amateur bout against Aloys Youmbi as the most difficult fight of his career. The 21-year-old heavyweight, who is preparing for a world title fight against Filip Hrgovic, noted that the encounter during the junior semi-finals resulted in him leaving the ring with a concussion.

Itauma has maintained an undefeated professional record with 12 knockout victories from 14 contests. He has not yet fought beyond the sixth round in a professional setting. His amateur background includes 24 wins, 11 of which were by knockout, alongside gold medals at the Youth World, Youth European, Junior, and School levels.

Both fighters share a connection to the Ben Davison stable. While Itauma moves toward a vacant IBF heavyweight world title shot at the end of the month, Youmbi is currently ranked number eight in the WBA cruiserweight rankings. Youmbi has secured 11 straight victories, including nine stoppages, following his first professional loss in 2021.

On August 29, Youmbi will compete in his first world-level test against Mike Perez. Perez is ranked number ten by the WBA and previously challenged for the WBC heavyweight world title in 2017. This bout will take place on the same card as the Itauma and Hrgovic fight.