'I'm not a superhero. I'm just a boxer': Moses Itauma on identity and struggle
Britain's 21-year-old heavyweight prospect Moses Itauma faces Jermaine Franklin on Saturday in an unbeaten record fight. In an interview, he explains that despite his professional prospects, he struggles with racism, identity, and poverty, living on just £7 per week.
Britain’s heavyweight prospect puts his unbeaten record on the line against Jermaine Franklin on SaturdayMoses Itauma might represent the glittering future of heavyweight boxing but right now he is locked in the present. In the back seat of a car, while being driven from one swanky hotel to another in Manchester, the 21-year-old turns to me and says: “Let’s get going.”I know how much Itauma dislikes interviews and so the only sensible option is to resist this blunt invitation to rush through our 45 minutes together. On Saturday night, in Manchester, Itauma fights Jermaine Franklin, the tough American who should provide his first notable test after he has won all 13 professional fights so far, with 11 ending in brutal stoppages. So he nods, just a little grudgingly, when I suggest we wait until we are sitting face to face. Continue reading...