Former world featherweight champion Prince Naseem Hamed has declared that rising British heavyweight Moses Itauma is better than he was, backing the 21-year-old to become the greatest boxer in history ahead of his vacant IBF title clash against Filip Hrgovic at London's O2 Arena this weekend.
Speaking in an interview at the Fairmont Windsor Park hotel near his home, Hamed strolled into the library room wearing a black T-shirt and black shorts, sipping tea from a china mug. "I'm only late because I live so close," Hamed joked. "What can I say, you know me, I like making an entrance."
Hamed delivered a remarkable verdict on Itauma, who is attempting to become the youngest British heavyweight champion in history. "I'm going to say something I've never said before. I think Moses is better than me," Hamed said. "I haven't said that about many fighters. Actually, I haven't said that about any fighters. But, I think Moses has a very bright future. He is going to be the best that's ever lived."
Hamed emphasised that Itauma must still face stern competition to prove his legacy. "Listen, I can't just put him right there in front of every greatest fighter that's ever lived right now," Hamed added. "He has to face some challenges and everybody needs a dancing partner in boxing. You know, Muhammad Ali had Joe Frazier, and Thomas 'Hitman' Hearns had Roberto Duran and Sugar Ray Leonard. But, Moses has got the ability to go all the way and beyond."
Beyond his athletic talent inside the ring, Hamed believes Itauma possesses the star power to transcend boxing in the manner of global sporting legends. Noting Itauma's sponsorship deal as the face of sportswear giant Nike, Hamed drew parallels with historic commercial endorsements.
"I've seen Moses has become the face of Nike," Hamed said. "Let me tell you something about Nike: they don't really get it wrong too much. They pick the right guys. When they picked Michael Jordan, they chose right. When they chose Tiger Woods, they chose right. They've got Moses now and they've chosen right."
Hamed, whose entire career was built upon supreme self-belief, admitted he had waited years to see a fighter of Itauma's calibre. "I've always waited for somebody to come along that I could say is going to be better than me," Hamed explained. "And I can honestly look at Moses and just think, yeah, this guy's the one. There is no one else I could even think about saying that about."
Technical Skill and Comparisons to Nike Stars
Explaining why Itauma stands out, Hamed highlighted the 6ft 4in fighter's combination of speed, power, and tactical control compared to his own instinctive fighting style.
"He's more of a correct and complete fighter compared to what I was," Hamed said. "Mine was a natural force of ability. It was all ad-lib. You didn't know what was going to happen, it was one of a kind and although Moses has that too, I think he's more calculated. More correct. His speed is blinding for somebody who's six foot four. He's so light on his feet, can move and has got blistering speed. Then there is the power. That's why it's going to be really hard for anybody in the sport of boxing today to get anywhere near him."
Itauma enters the bout against Hrgovic at 21 years and seven months old with a professional record of 14-0, including 12 knockouts, having boxed just 31 rounds. Over his last two fights, Itauma stopped both opponents inside five rounds, logging barely 16 minutes of ring time, and has never fought beyond the sixth round.
By comparison, when Hamed challenged Steve Robinson for the WBO featherweight title at a similar age, he was 19-0 with 17 knockouts across 68 professional rounds. Hamed would go on to finish his career with a record of 36 wins and one defeat.
Heavyweight Title Shot and Lack of Experience
Hrgovic, a 34-year-old Croatian heavyweight, represents Itauma's most formidable challenge to date. Hrgovic holds a record of 20-1 with 15 knockouts, with his sole career loss coming against Daniel Dubois.
Despite Hrgovic's superior age, size, and experience, Itauma has already demonstrated his power against veteran opposition, including a rapid stoppage of former world title challenger Dillian Whyte. The 36-year-old Whyte had previously shared the ring with Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.
"Who would have thought that the fight with Dillian Whyte, with all his experience and with the trouble that he gave AJ and everything else, was going to be such a one-sided fight over in, I don't know, minutes?" Hamed noted.
Navigating Ring Adversity and Championship Pressure
Questions remain over how Itauma will respond when forced into deep waters or hit with heavy shots. Hamed recalled his own American debut against Kevin Kelley in New York, where HBO promoted him heavily across Times Square. During that fight, Kelley knocked Hamed down three times before Hamed climbed off the canvas to win.
"I've always said you don't know how somebody is going to react until they get hit with a huge shot," Hamed said. "Everybody talks about Moses not having enough rounds, but I didn't have loads of rounds either. We both didn't have that learning phase in the same way a lot of fighters do."
Hamed continued: "With the Kelley fight, it was the first time I found myself in that sort of situation really and I dealt with it. I got knocked down, I got back up and I won the fight. That's experience in itself. Of course I'd love Moses to have more experience. I'd love him to go through those hard rounds and learn what fighters normally learn. But boxing is about levels. And when you're already on the level Moses is on, you don't necessarily need to go through everything everybody else has gone through to get where you're going."
Frank Warren, who previously promoted Hamed, described Itauma as the most talented young boxer he has ever worked with, even more talented than Hamed. Hamed also praised Itauma's character and upbringing.
"I love the fact of how humble he is," Hamed said. "His parents must have brought him up to be the man that he is today, because it shows. And he's a breath of fresh air in boxing."
Addressing whether expectation could weigh on Itauma, Hamed dismissed the concept of pressure. "I didn't know what pressure meant. I never felt pressure. I didn't understand pressure. I couldn't even spell it," Hamed said. "So, I never felt that I was that type of guy to let things like that get under my skin, or be nervous, or feel pressure in any way. And we always say pressure makes diamonds, so I don't think that's going to happen with Moses."
The pre-fight tension escalated at the weigh-in, where Itauma pushed Hrgovic off the stage before being slapped by the Croatian heavyweight during a chaotic face-off.
Hatton Tribute and Frustration Over Joshua vs Fury
Hamed also reflected on his former contemporary Ricky Hatton, who featured on the undercard of his fight against Kelley in New York and went on to draw massive travelling fan support from Manchester to Las Vegas.
"I loved everything about Ricky. Ricky was a people's person. I never, ever saw support for a fighter in this country the way they loved Ricky," Hamed recalled. "The amount of people that used to come out to Vegas to watch him fight, there was too many people! He just took over everything. When he'd fight in Manchester, there'd be over, I don't know, 50,000. We never saw crowds come out like that for any fighter in the history of boxing in the UK."
Hamed added: "Ricky had something special in regards to the love in people's hearts, how he made people feel and how he was just one of the boys, and just how genuine he was. He'd say what he felt, similar to myself. But he was an exceptionally good fighter. He was an amazing body puncher, and he did unbelievable in his career. He's one of the fighters that we can all say will go down in history as one of the best fighters this country has ever produced. It was just so sad to find out when we did about him. God bless him and his family. His family, I can't even imagine what they've been through and what they're going through. He's sadly missed. He'll never be forgotten, and he lit up Manchester in a way that nobody did."
Turning to contemporary heavyweight boxing, Hamed voiced frustration that Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury look set to stage their long-awaited showdown at Madison Square Garden on November 20 rather than in Great Britain.
"I think that's a UK fight. I think that's a big UK fight, and I think it should sell out Wembley," Hamed said. "Madison Square Garden is an amazing place, and it's history, isn't it? And it will always be history in the making for any big fight. But I would prefer to watch that fight on our own soil, in London, and I think the British public deserve that to be in this country. You've got great British fighters that had a huge name in boxing a little bit before now, but in my eyes, that fight's better to be in London than in the States and in New York."
On predicting a winner between Joshua and Fury, Hamed added: "That's a good question. I think any of them can win. For me, if Tyson Fury fights like he did against Wilder the first or the second time, it's going to be hard for AJ to beat that kind of guy. But we don't know who we have today in regards to Tyson Fury and where he's really at, and we don't know which AJ we have, especially after his last fight and everything he's been through. Look, it's going to be a big fight. Is it around about three, four, maybe five years too late. But regardless, I think the British public still want to see it."
With heavyweights Joshua and Fury entering the twilight of their careers, Hamed believes Itauma represents the future of British boxing as he prepares to validate Hamed's glowing praise inside the ring at the O2 Arena.
