Moses Itauma banned father from gym after going against his wishes

Moses Itauma has revealed the reason he banned his father from his gym ahead of his heavyweight showdown with Jermaine Franklin.

Itauma, 21, is widely considered the next big thing in British boxing, having swept aside all 13 of his opponents in the professional ranks, with 11 victories coming by way of knockout, including a brutal first-round knockout of former heavyweight world title challenger Dillian Whyte in August 2025.

The Slovakia-born youngster, whose mother comes from the Eastern European nation and whose father was born in Nigeria, takes on America’s Franklin in Manchester on 28 March, with the 32-year-old having previously taken both Whyte and Anthony Joshua the distance.

If Itauma deals with Franklin, he may quickly move on to bigger things, with promoter Frank Warren, who has already teased a potential world title shot by the end of this year.

“I can’t really say until this fight is over where we go, but in an ideal world, I would like to see him fighting for a world title by the end of the year,” Warren explained earlier this week.

Moses Itauma boasts a perfect professional record (Credit:Getty)

He added: “I can honestly say at this stage of his career and the age he’s at, he’s the most impressive heavyweight I’ve ever been involved with. And that’s at this stage, and on Saturday he’s in with a guy who’s very, very experienced… He’s never been stopped. So this is a big, big moment for him. This guy is very, very experienced, this is Moses’ 14th fight. So I think it will tell a lot about him.”

And despite seemingly having the world at his feet, Itauma is kept grounded by his parents.

In a recent interview with the Guardian, Itauma’s father, Charles, admitted that he “found it difficult” seeing his son pursue a career in boxing after wanting him to be a doctor.

Itauma Sr explained: “When he came to me about wanting to go into boxing, I said: ‘No. I will never want this. Don’t do it.’ But after some time I could see he was serious. I said: ‘If he wants to do it, let’s support him.’”

Itauma Jr then weighed in: “He didn’t feel comfortable watching me spar, so I banned him from the gym.”

But despite his father’s initial apprehensions, the boxer’s mother is more enthusiastic about her son’s career choices.

“She’s Slovak, so they love fighting,” the 21-year-old added. “Slovakian women are very feisty. I told her to stop, but she will be shouting on Saturday night.”