British heavyweight Moses Itauma pulls out his phone and scrolls through his pictures.

He shows a meme featuring former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo in traditional attire, standing with his hands on his hips and staring deadpan into the camera.

"This is how an African dad looks at you when you pursue a career that goes against his wishes and you turn out to be successful," a chuckling Itauma reads aloud to BBC Sport. "That is pretty much my dad."

Itauma was born in Slovakia to a Nigerian father and a Slovak mother before moving to Kent as a young child.

His parents originally wanted him to become a doctor or a lawyer. But once his older brother turned professional and the family recognised Itauma's exceptional natural talent, their stance softened.

"Don't worry about school. Just focus on your boxing," his mother eventually said.

That decision has paid off spectacularly.

At 21, Itauma steps into the ring against Filip Hrgovic on Saturday for the vacant IBF title with the chance to become the second-youngest world heavyweight champion in history.

"There's a lot of expectations on my shoulders to carry the flag of British boxing. I just have to live up to it," Itauma says.

Victory against Croatia's Hrgovic would put Itauma on the path to becoming the next big name in British heavyweight boxing, with Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua inching closer to the end of their storied careers.

Fury, with his Netflix documentaries and larger-than-life personality, has always made himself the attraction. Itauma is more like Joshua - guarded and keeping the media at arm's length.

"What irritates me most is when people think you're public property," he says.

"What people don't know about me is that I don't actually want to be in the limelight. The way my career is going, I just have no choice."

Like Joshua, Itauma often appears uninterested in the theatrics of fight week. When Hrgovic interrupted during Thursday's news conference, Itauma calmly asked host Adam Smith for the next question.

There are similarities in their careers, too.

Joshua fought Charles Martin for the IBF title in his 16th pro bout, having boxed 34 rounds. Itauma arrives at his first world-title opportunity a fight sooner and with 31 rounds logged.

While Joshua had an Olympic gold medal and a deeper amateur background, victory for Itauma would make comparisons unavoidable - eclipsing Joshua to become the fastest British heavyweight to win a world title.

Itauma's trainer Ben Davison, who also worked with Joshua and Fury, believes he has the temperament to handle what comes next.

"Pressure is a privilege," he says.

"Moses has already had that pressure for such a long time and I just think it's water off a duck's back." (BBC)