Moses Itauma has said he wants to 'start off like Mike Tyson' but avoid the mistakes that contributed to Tyson's downfall, as he prepares for the biggest fight of his career.
The 21-year-old from Kent faces Filip Hrgovic at The O2 on Saturday for the IBF heavyweight title vacated by Oleksandr Usyk. Victory in his 15th professional fight would make him the second youngest heavyweight world champion in history, behind Tyson, who won the WBC belt at 20 four decades ago.
Itauma acknowledged the challenges of early fame, saying: 'I've always wanted to start off like Mike Tyson but don't end up how Mike Tyson ended up. But now I'm in the shoes that Mike Tyson was, as in all the fame and accolades at such a young age, I'm starting to see and realise why he fell off the way he did.'
He has turned to books including Sun Tzu's 'Art of War' and Tim Grover's 'Relentless' for guidance, adding: 'I'm wrapping my head around these things and I guess that's why I'm so heavily into books because I ain't never been in this position before.'
Hrgovic, 34, dismissed suggestions he is merely a support act, saying: 'It's a lot of pressure on him and maybe he'll crack under that pressure – we'll see. Promoters and everyone want him to become the next star and they're already making a celebration party. I'm invited here to lose.'