British-Nigerian boxer, Moses Itauma, talks about his heavyweight career, boxing dreams, being Nigerian, writing his own story and more in this interview with PETER AKINBO

How does it feel to be home in Nigeria on Independence Day?

I just wanted to say I have felt very welcomed. I feel like there’s something that I’ve experienced here that I’ve never experienced in my short years of travelling. For example, I was at the airport yesterday (Tuesday) and the security guard asked me if these belts were mine. I said yes, and she was like, “Are you Nigerian?” I said, “My father’s Nigerian.” She said, “We’re proud of you,” and she didn’t even know my story. So that’s one thing that I can say. I’m glad to be home.

You are now a bona fide heavyweight title contender. How is the journey so far?

It hasn’t been a long one, to be honest, because obviously I am only 20 years old, but I’m forever staying curious and I’m forever learning. Every city, every country I go to, I always learn something different. And then even to come here, I’m not going to lie, my relationship with not just Nigeria but Africa as a whole, I haven’t really experienced it. So I’m just glad coming here and just learning so much about the culture and my culture that I haven’t really been exposed to. So I’m forever learning, I’m forever changing, and I think that’s a good thing, because for me to go to the next level or for me to go to where I want to go, I can’t be the same boy forever.

Are there any records you still want to break, even though the Mike Tyson record is not possible anymore?

I get asked this question a lot. There are records to be set, of course, but I feel like everybody has had their own career or is doing their own career. Mike Tyson had his own career, Evander Holyfield had his own career, and Anthony Joshua is setting his own career. Am I a bad person to say that I want to set Moses Itauma’s career? I want to be my own person. I don’t want to be like nobody else, and that’s what I’m trying my best to stay.

How has Nigeria contributed to who you are right now?

I feel like there’s a little bit of an unfair advantage towards the competition because I’m not going to lie, the ‘Nigerian power’ definitely helps me in the ring, I can’t lie. So obviously, these guys have all set their own careers. Like you mentioned, you’ve got Anthony Joshua, Lawrence Okolie, Daniel Dubois, and Dillian Whyte, whose family roots are Nigerian. So there are a lot of fighters around the world that are Nigerian, and I think there has to be something in the water.

What was the experience growing up in Slovakia in terms of racism?

I feel like, obviously, times have changed, but growing up, people there just weren’t used to seeing people of colour. It was hard. My brothers experienced it more, only because they went to school. When we moved out of Slovakia, I was not old enough, but my older brothers experienced it. But I guess you’re going to forgive people because they just don’t know. They haven’t experienced it, so there’s no point in having hatred in our hearts for other people. I still go back every year, I still spend Christmas with my mother’s side of the family, so it’s not like a place that I wouldn’t go back to or anything, because I still have love for the country, but it definitely was tough growing up there.

What do you think about potential fights with other boxers of Nigerian descent, like Anthony Joshua or Efe Ajagba?

Anthony Joshua, I don’t think that fight would ever happen. We have the same trainer. I don’t know how that would work. Ajagba, I mean, that probably is a fight that maybe could play out, but he’s not really on the list right now. But for me, my job is just to get in the ring and fight. That is literally my job. Everything that’s outside the ring, where it concerns making fights happen and whatnot, that’s not really all down to me. It’s down to the team.

What do you think about a potential fight with Oleksandr Usyk?

I think any outcome or any scenario that happens in that fight is always going to be a win. So, for example, if I were to go in there and I win, then obviously I’ve won the heavyweight championship of the world at 20 years old. If I go in there and happen to lose, then I challenged for the heavyweight championship of the world at 20 years old. So it is always a win-win. The experience that I’ve gained from that fight would be tremendous. So yeah, hopefully that one day that fight could land. That’s why a lot of people shouldn’t be surprised when I’m knocking these guys out in one or two rounds, because these guys haven’t faced someone like me before.

Do you think becoming the world champion now at a young age is an advantage for you, or maybe later is better?

I think it will have to be later, but obviously, I want to be the champion as young as possible, but, in my mind, something tells me that wasn’t in my plan. I feel like God was like, “You can’t handle that yet,” because although there is a fighting bit, there’s all this other extra stuff, the extra media, the extra faces you’re going to have to talk to, all this stuff outside the ring. I feel like God was purposely like, “You ain’t ready for that.” So he’s put me in other little challenges for me to learn from. And I want to be heavyweight champion in the near future, but I mean, I didn’t beat Mike Tyson’s record, so there’s no rush any more.

What about the record of the longest-reigning world champion?

I think it’s 11 years, that’s long, I don’t know. The thing is, I remember seeing a picture of the top six youngest heavyweight champions in the world, and it was Mike Tyson, Floyd Patterson, Muhammad Ali, and all the way to number six were all these great names. And who happened to be number six was someone like George Foreman at 24 years old. I was like, I can probably become a world champion in those four years, and it’ll put me among those names, which is a big blessing.

When can we anticipate you getting that belt?

That’s all that is on my mind, but you guys don’t remember, boxing spans maybe 15 to 20 years. I’m only 20 years old. I turned professional two years ago, so I still have a lot of time on my hands. One day, I’ll get the belt, and I’ll come back to Nigeria, and I’ll celebrate here.

Have you had conversations about having fights in Nigeria?

Of course, that’s something that we’ve been speaking about. Having fights in Nigeria, having fights in Africa and the continent. I feel like there’s a lot of talent. I think my dad speaks about it as well. There’s a lot of talent that hasn’t been unlocked yet. So definitely somewhere in the near future, but we have definitely been talking about it.

Why did you choose to collaborate with Bet9ja?

One of the main reasons, for me personally, why I chose to collaborate with Bet9ja is, for me, like I said, growing up in Slovakia and the UK, I never really fully had that relationship with Nigeria. When this came along, I felt it was a good time to discover my roots. This is a good time to discover my heritage, so we’re here and we’re discovering the heritage. And one of the main reasons for me was 100 per cent to discover the roots, but not only that, to talk about setting up charities and helping to unlock the potential in the young Nigerian athletes.

What part of Nigeria are you from?

My Dad was born in Lagos, but his bloodline runs from Akwa Ibom. The original idea was to come with my father, but he couldn’t come. But I have been in constant communication with him. He’s definitely a proud Nigerian, definitely something that he especially wanted me to tap into as well. We had a meeting two weeks ago with the governor of Akwa Ibom, and he’s very eager for me to come there as well. So I am very eager to go.

What message does this partnership pass to the youth in Nigeria?

That’s a good question. I don’t think it’s about sending a message, but it’s more about actually being hands-on with the development of the young athletes coming through. It’s never been sort of a message thing. It’s always been about locating the untapped potential in every Nigerian, every young athlete, so it’s about actually executing it.

Do you have a favourite place to fight between Nigeria, Wembley, Las Vegas, or Saudi Arabia?

No, my favourite thing is to win. The reason why I said that is that when I started boxing, it wasn’t to be a superstar or to sell tickets. It was just for something that I wanted to do. So whether I box in Wembley, or whether I box in Saudi Arabia, or if I ever box in Nigeria, it’s about getting the job done and executing it. (The PUNCH)