Dillian Whyte has come in at his lowest weight since 2015, hitting the scales at 244.1lbs for his tough task against impressive youngster Moses Itauma.
The two will fight in Riyadh, Saudia Arabia tomorrow night, and the 20-year-old Itauma came in at 235.5lbs, some 20lbs lighter than he weighed against Mike Balogun in May.
“I’ve been training, training’s gone good. That’s it,” said Whyte, 37 and 31-3 (21 KOs).
“I’ve been in training for 12 tough weeks,” countered Itauma, 12-0 (10 KOs). “And honestly the last three-four weeks, I’ve been saying I want to get to the easy bit. That’s the fight. I’ve got upmost respect for Dillian. This is nothing personal. This is business.”
They top the bill in Saudi, where all of the fighters weighed in without incident, aside from Raymond Ford hitting the scales 0.3lbs heavier than the contracted 130lbs limit for his fight with Abraham Nova.
The event includes the WBA featherweight title fight between champion Nick Ball, 22-0-1 (13 KOs), from Liverpool, England, and Australian challenger Sam Goodman, who is moving up in weight for the opportunity.
“It’s up to me to execute like I said, if I do that he’ll get a lot of surprises,” said Goodman, 20-0 (8 KOs).
Ball, conversely, promised: “As always, [it will be] all action from me.”
Camden’s Ford will take on Nova further down the card. Nova came in for original foe Anthony Cacace.
Ford took the last opportunity of the weigh-in to talk to Nova, but Nova – 24-3-1 (17 KOs) – had zoned out. “I wasn’t paying attention, to be honest,” said Nova.
Ford, 17-1-1 (8 KOs), who said he will show that “levels” are the difference between him and his opponent, apparently told Nova, “It’s ass-whippin’ time.”
Also at heavyweight, London’s David Adeleye, 14-1 (13 KOs), said: “I’m ready to rock and roll, no more talking. Tomorrow night,” ahead of his clash with Filip Hrgovic, 18-1 (14 KOs).
Hayato Tsutsumi, 7-0 (4 KOs), paired with 13-3-1 (5 KOs) Qais Ashfaq, said he was looking to put on a show in his first fight outside of Japan.
“For the last whole month, I’ve been looking forward to showing off my fighting to everyone in Riyadh. [I’m going to show] an incredible KO.”
Full weights from Riyadh
Heavyweight – 10 rounds
Moses Itauma (235.5lbs) Vs. Dillian Whyte (244.1lbs)
WBA featherweight title – 12 rounds
Nick Ball (126lbs) Vs. Sam Goodman (125.1lbs)
Junior lightweight – 10 rounds
Raymond Ford (130.3lbs) Vs. Abraham Nova (129.1lbs)
Heavyweight – 10 rounds
Filip Hrgovic (241.9lbs) Vs. David Adeleye (240.5lbs)
Junior lightweight – 10 rounds
Hayato Tsutsumi (131.9lbs) Vs. Qais Ashfaq (131.9lbs)
Junior lightweight – six rounds
Mohammed Alakel (132lbs) Vs. Yumnan Santosh Singh (132.6lbs)
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