Moses Itauma made yet another spectacular statement in Riyadh, and he needed less than a round to wipe out Dillian Whyte on Saturday.
Itauma (13-0, 11 KOs) last saw action in May, overwhelming Mike Balogun for a second-round win, while Whyte (31-4, 21 KOs) was last out in December 2024 in Gibraltar, forcing Ebenezer Tetteh to retire after seven rounds.
Itauma started sharply, with his hand speed and footwork leaving a plodding Whyte struggling to make an impact.
The end was then swift in coming, as two clubbing left hands followed by a flurry of power punches had the 37-year-old all at sea, and a short and sharp right hand had him on the deck.
As he attempted to rise to his feet, his legs betrayed him, and the referee waved the fight off.
The 20-year-old retained his WBO Intercontinental heavyweight title and remains the number one contender to undisputed champion, Oleksandr Usyk’s WBO title.
“If I’m completely honest, Joseph Parker and [Agit] Kabayel do deserve the shot [against Usyk],” he told DAZN post-fight.
“But I’d love to take that opportunity as well.”
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Ball retains world title
Britain’s only reigning world champion kept his belt on the undercard, with Liverpool’s Nick Ball defending his WBA featherweight title by taking a competitive points win against Sam Goodman (20-1, 8 KOs) of Australia.
The contest looked close going into the later rounds, but Ball (23-0-1, 13 KOs) managed to pull away, and retained his title by scores 118-110, 117-111 and 115-113.
Hrgovic battles past Adeleye
Filip Hrgovic took the WBA Continental Gold and WBO International heavyweight titles, as he claimed a thrilling points win against David Adeleye over 10 rounds.
Hrgovic (19-1, 14 KOs) suffered a horror cut in the second round, but dropped Adeleye (14-2, 13 KOs) with a chopping right hand in the eighth.
The Brit rallied well in the same round, but was eventually beaten on the scorecards by two scores of 99-90, and a third at 99-91.
Ford sees off Nova
Ray Ford continued his resurgence since losing his world title to the aforementioned Ball by outscoring Abraham Nova (24-4-1, 17 KOs) over 10 rounds at super featherweight.
A pair of 97-93 verdicts, and a third tally of 96-94 secured victory for Ford (18-1-1, 8 KOs), who edged closer to a world title shot.
Ray Ford takes the W over a game Abraham Nova 👊
📝 96-94, 97-93, 97-93 #FordNova #WhyteItauma pic.twitter.com/hLOEXEdS4e
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) August 16, 2025
Remaining Undercard
Talented Japanese super featherweight, Hayato Tsutsumi (8-0, 5 KOs) ruthlessly took the win against Qais Ashfaq (13-4-1, 5 KOs), scoring three knockdowns before forcing a third-round stoppage.
Mohammed Alakel (5-0, 1 KO) won his first contest inside the distance, as he halted Yumnam Santosh Singh (3-7, 1 KOs) in the first round of their clash, also at super featherweight.
