While all eyes were naturally on Usyk and Fury, there was another reason for Australian boxing fans to tune into Sunday’s fight card, with Demsey McKean facing off against unbeaten heavyweight prospect Moses Itauma.
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It was supposed to be a step up for Itauma, who was unbeaten in 10 fights and potentially on a path towards becoming the youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history.
Instead, the 19-year-old phenom made it look deceptively easy as he dominated McKean on his way to a stunning first-round knockout to continue his rapid rise in the division.
McKean looked slick with his striking early but the power of Itauma was undeniable, landing a left hand and then another shortly after, with this one sending the Australian crashing to the canvas.
McKean was able to get back to his feet but hardly looked in a position to challenge Itauma, who landed a strong shot to the body and then finished him off with another big left hand.
DAZN blow-by-blow commentator Adam Smith said it was “just ridiculous” how Itauma continues to dispose of “seasoned campaigners”, adding McKean to his list of victims.
Usyk WINS by Decision over Fury | 01:12
McKean entered Sunday’s fight with a 22-1 record while Itauma improved to 11-0 with the win and has until May 19 next year to break Mike Tyson’s record of 20 years, 4 months and 22 days old when he became heavyweight champion.
McKean’s only other loss came via a 12th-round stoppage at the hands of Croatia’s Filip Hrgovic in his last fight in August 2023.
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