Our Itauma vs Whyte preview picks a winner in the crossroads heavyweight clash. This DAZN pay-per-view card, live from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 16th August 2025, features an action-packed lineup. Also broadcast live on BBC Radio 5.
Boxing takes centre stage as we preview the four main bouts of an electrifying fight card.
Moses Itauma vs Dillian Whyte
Up-and-coming British heavyweight hotshot Moses Itauma continues his progression this weekend. The Kent-based WBO number one-ranked contender steps up against former world title challenger Dillian Whyte, aged 37 and a world-level veteran.
20-year-old Itauma is a potential future heavyweight king. He’s fresh from a devastating KO of Mike Balogun in May 2025. And now faces a tough-looking assignment in his thirteenth professional contest, as Whyte looks to show he can claw his way back to the division’s summit.
Even though Itauma has not yet operated at Whyte’s level, he should have too much youth and verve for “the body snatcher”. Whyte looked sluggish in beating Ghanaian trialhorse Ebenezer Tetteh last year, and looks like his best days are behind him.
Expect Itauma to dazzle with fast hands and rapier-like combinations from the southpaw stance. And the referee may need to step in to save Whyte around the 3 to 5 round mark.
Nick Ball vs Sam Goodman
Featherweight buzzsaw Nick Ball makes the third defence of his WBA crown on the undercard. Since outlasting Raymond Ford to annexe the belt, Ball has stopped Ronny Rios and TJ Doheny.
Ball is patiently waiting for a mooted clash with pound-for-pound great Nayoue Inoue. In the meantime, Australian Goodman should be a step up from Balls’ previous two challengers. The New South Wales native is a clever boxer with 20 wins on his ledger. But only eight stoppages suggest he isn’t a tremendous hitter.
Therefore, we predict that Ball will grind down his man in a typically bruising fashion. Roughhousing his way to accumulate damage and dig into the body. Goodman may struggle on his 126 lbs debut and go out on his shield somewhere around the tenth round.
Raymond Ford vs Abraham Nova
Former Nick Ball opponent Ford continues his renaissance at super featherweight. Nova stands in for the injured Anthony Cacache. Nova has only won three of his previous seven bouts, including a failed challenge for O’Shaqui Foster’s WBC belt.
Don’t Miss: Barry McGuigan: The Clones Cyclone and His Powerful Legacy
So Ford should be a level above and take a late stoppage or resounding points victory. There’s too much on the line here for Ford to lose focus, as he pushes towards another world title tilt.
Filip Hrgovic vs David Adeleye
33-year-old Croat Hrgovic hasn’t reached the lofty heights expected. The 2016 Olympic bronze medalist was once tipped as a future world champion.
A debatable split decision win over Zhilei Zhang remains Hrgovic’s career highlight, although a disappointing stoppage loss to Daniel Dubois showed his limitations.
Still, Hrgovic should have far too much power and pedigree for the British domestic level, Adeleye. A 2023 KO loss to Fabio Wardley points to the Brit’s ceiling, even though he has power himself. But we think that Hrgovic’s greater amateur pedigree and experience will prevail with a mid-round stoppage.
That wraps up our Itauma vs Whyte preview. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.