Moses Itauma faces Filip Hrgovic on Saturday for the vacant IBF heavyweight title, with victory potentially making him the second-youngest world heavyweight champion, behind Mike Tyson. At 21, the British fighter’s rapid rise could establish him as a successor to Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua at the forefront of British heavyweight boxing.

Born in Slovakia to a Nigerian father and Slovak mother, Itauma moved to Kent as a child and was initially encouraged towards medicine or law before his family backed boxing. He reaches his first title fight in his 15th professional bout after 31 rounds, one fight earlier than Joshua did, following notable stoppage wins over Dillian Whyte and Jermaine Franklin. Trainer Ben Davison believes Itauma is equipped to cope with the considerable expectations surrounding him.