Moses Itauma vs. Dillian Whyte fight predictions, odds, start time, preview, undercard, where to watch

Will Moses Itauma be able to capitalize on his big moment Saturday, or is this opportunity coming too soon? There's a truckload of intrigue in finding out whether this 20-year-old fighter who is the best heavyweight prospect in two decades is as dynamic as advertised.  

Itauma (12-0, 10 KOs), a native of Slovakia who fights out of England, will headline his first pay-per-view card (DAZN PPV, 12:45 p.m. ET) when he takes on former title challenger DIllian Whyte (31-3, 21 KOs) in a 10-round bout from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 

Should Itauma prove successful against the battle-tested Whyte, a 37-year-old London resident from Jamaica, an even bigger leap up in class could be next against undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk given the support Itauma has received publicly from powerful Saudi Arabian adviser Turki Alalshikh. 

The biggest issue facing Itauma, who has been a pro for just over two years, is that he has never boxed past six rounds. In fact, 10 of his 12 pro bouts haven't made it out of the second round due to his dynamic combination of speed, power and footwork from the southpaw stance.

Moses Itauma gets the chance to showcase his skills with potential megafights and stardom ahead

Brian Campbell

So, how does Itauma know he's ready to go the distance in a potential all-action fight should it be necessary against Whyte?

"Honestly, I don't know," Itauma told CBS Sports last week. "But I've got confidence in my ability and I've got confidence in myself that I could do it. I don't know where that confidence comes from but I know that I haven't boxed [someone of Whyte's credentials] but I've shared the ring [in sparring] with guys far better than Dillian. So, I guess we will see fight night."

With the exception of Marisuz Wach, the nearly 6-foot-8 former title challenger whom Itauma finished in less than two rounds last summer, the young heavyweight hasn't faced a ton of household names or anyone even on par with Whyte. Yet, the insane potential Itauma has shown so early, even though we still don't know much about his chin or gas tank, has him as high as a 12-to-1 betting favorite. 

The oddsmakers have indirectly appeared to have taken any pressure off of Whyte, who enters the bout riding a three-fight win streak since his 2022 title loss to Tyson Fury via knockout. 

"I don't have anything to prove to myself," Whyte said at Tuesday's grand arrival in Riyadh. "Sometimes I think to myself, I'm 37, I"m here, I've got kids, I have a wife, a family. I'm exciting people, I'm doing things. I'm one of the best fighters in the world. Sometimes, it's unbelievable.

"I'd love to get a chance to avenge my three defeats and I'd love the chance to fight for the world title again. I don't think I did myself justice last time. Sometimes you can have a good camp and last minute things happen and sometimes mentally you're there but you're really not there."

All three of Whyte's pro defeats have come against current, future or former world champions (Anthony Joshua in 2015, Alexander Povetkin in 2020 and Fury). In between, Whyte has scored victories over the likes of Derek Chisora (twice), Robert Helenius, Joseph Parker, Wach, Povetkin (in their rematch) and Jermaine Franklin.

Even though Whyte remains somewhat close to the title picture at large despite his age and certainly holds more than a puncher's chance against Itauma because of his experience advantage, all three of his defeats have come by knockout via uppercut. And it just so happens that Itauma has a very good uppercut in his arsenal. 

"Surprisingly, it's not on my mind because I know that [Whyte] will probably think that I want to go in there looking for the uppercut because he has not only been knocked out, he has been dropped by the uppercut multiple times," Itauma said. "So, I'm not even worried about the uppercut. 

"I think the biggest challenge of facing Dillian Whyte is the same thing as facing any other heavyweight. There is a chance you can go in there and get knocked out because any heavyweight has the ability to knock out any other heavyweight."

As a true veteran of this game, Whyte has remained noticeably subdued during fight week, which appears to be part of his strategy. 

"[The boxing media] likes to down and analyze everything but I am just chill," Whyte said at Thursday's final press conference. "People think I am some crazy guy but I'm just a chill guy. Wait until Saturday to find out. I'm not going to sit here and say this and that. I always come to fight, nothing has changed. I always try to find a way to get the victory and give my all in the ring. Nothing has changed."

The undercard on Saturday features a pair of exciting matchups in the lower weightclasses. Nick Ball is set to put his WBA featherweight title on the line against Sam Goodman in the co-main event. The 28-year-old from England is unbeaten in 23 trips to the ring with wins over top names like Isaac Dogboe, Rey Vargas and Raymond Ford. He's coming off a stoppage of TJ Doheny in March. Goodman, meanwhile, enters as a top contender out of Australia who is unbeaten in 20 fights. He's yet to truly step up in competition in a meaningful way, but owns a pair of wins over Doheny and Ra'eese Aleem in 2023.

Let's take a closer look at the rest of the undercard with the latest odds before getting to a prediction and expert pick on the main event below. 

Itauma vs. Whyte fight card, odds

Odds via BetMGM and BetRivers

• Moses Itauma -800 vs Dillian Whyte +550, heavyweights
• Nick Ball (c) -500 vs. Sam Goodman +325, WBA featherweight title
• Ray Ford -800 vs. Abraham Nova +500, super featherweights
• Filip Hrgovic -500 vs. David Adeleye +400, heavyweights
• Hayato Tsutsumi -3000 vs. Qais Ashfaq +1400, super featherweights

Where to watch Itauma vs. Whyte

• Date: Aug. 16 | Location: ANB Arena -- Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
• Start time: 12:45 p.m. ET
• How to watch: DAZN PPV | Price: $49.99

Prediction

What we still don't know about Itauma is certainly what makes this fight most interesting. What we do know, however, is that he's a dynamic offensive force, the kind that the division has not seen in years. 

Whyte certainly has the power, experience and IQ to expose Itauma should this fight be taking place too soon. And a damaging loss this early, particularly by stoppage, has just as big of a shot to stunt or ruin the incredible upside that Itauma has shown in such a short period of time. 

Sometimes, however, what you see with your own eyes is exactly what it is. And Itauma, who has shown maturity far beyond his years during interviews ahead of this fight, really does appear to have the goods, even if this fight represents an incredible step up in everything from class to the bright lights of a PPV main event. 

Itauma's footwork will be the key, as will his ability not to get sucked into physical exchanges in the clinch where Whyte's experience can play a key role in frustrating and slowing down Itauma. But Itauma also seems to specialize in landing the kind of dynamic power punches and combinations that very few active heavyweights can, which makes him a KO threat, even against someone as sturdy as Whyte, for as long as this fight lasts. 

Will Itauma be even remotely ready for someone like Usyk should he survive and advance in this incredibly dangerous test? That remains to be seen. But he does appear to be ready for everything Whyte has to offer, even if that requires Itauma to go deeper into a fight than he has been forced to go before.

Pick: Itauma via TKO8