Moses Itouma vs Dillian Whyte: Fight night preview and betting tips
Sat, 16 Aug 2025
Sat, 16 Aug 2025
There’s an all-British heavyweight affair in Riyadh on Saturday evening as undefeated prospect Moses Itouma faces arguably his biggest test to date against the vastly experienced Dillian Whyte.
Our boxing tipster Max Boosey breaks down the main event from a punter’s perspective and also offers up some tips for the undercard.
Many shrewd boxing judges have hailed Itouma as the real deal when it comes to the most exciting prospects on the heavyweight scene – and I’d have to agree with that assessment.
His footwork is flawless, the shot selection is that of someone far beyond his years and, crucially at this level, he has that brutal punch power to end fights in an instant.
Comparatively speaking, I’d argue Itouma is probably ahead of where Anthony Joshua was after 11 professional bouts. And Joshua was a world champion by his 15th outing.
This may sound like I’m angling for an Itouma KO here. That is probably how I see the fight ending but, from a value perspective, it’s not how I want to play it.
Whyte has not scaled the heights expected of his young opponent but one thing you have to say about the Body Snatcher is he’s been in there and mixed it with the very best.
He’s beaten the likes of Joseph Parker (look at the run he’s on right now), Oscar Rivas, Derek Chisora twice, Robert Helenius, Jermaine Franklin. All established top-level fighters.
Even in his three defeats to Anthony Joshua (round seven), Alexander Povetkin (round five) and Tyson Fury (round six), he has taken a bit of putting away. And these are real household names we’re talking about, too.
So, as highly as I rate Itouma, he’s going to have to do something nobody else has ever done in order to justify the bookies’ odds on the rounds line, which goes an odds-against 6/5 on the fight having over 4.5 rounds.
It’s also worth remembering that Whyte can seriously punch, which may just temper the ultra-aggressive Itouma in the opening exchanges somewhat.
Best bet - Itouma vs Whyte over 4.5 rounds - 6/5 (various)
I think siding with Adeleye here at massive prices could be worth a play here. The Brit is a 4/1 underdog but I’m not sure Hrgovic merits that level of favour in the betting.
The Croatian is unquestionably a talented operator but does have a tendency to switch off in his fights, notably during a title eliminator defeat to Zhilei Zhang a couple of years ago, which he nearly threw away.
I sometimes feel when I’m watching Hrgovic that he doesn’t want to be there and he can feel sorry for himself when things aren’t going his way.
He was also billed as a big puncher early in his career but actually, both Joe Joyce and Daniel Dubois were able to wear his best shots in his last two contests.
Adeleye did suffer a first and only career defeat to date against Fabio Wardley in Riyadah two years ago but there’s no shame in that, with Wardley as game as they come.
I think the blueprint he used to win his last fight against Solomon Dacres – a fighter with a similar style to Hrogivc – could prove effective again.
I can see a left hook being the punch that gets the job done for Adeleye, so as well as 1pt on that 4/1 win price, let’s try a further half point on the knockout at 7/1 with Betway.
Best bets - 1pt - Adeleye to beat Hrgovic - 4/1 (various) + 0.5pts Adeleye to win by KO/ TKO - 7/1 (Betway)
Featherweight world champion Ball should be more than capable of defending the gold here against Goodman and bookies have him priced accordingly, at 1/4 to get the win.
However, the method of victory betting for this one is a lot tighter and I think the 10/11 about Ball getting the stoppage win is worth a small investment.
There’s a difference in levels here. Goodman is a sound operator but Ball is someone I think capable of going in and mixing it with the great Naoya Inoue – a bout we may see sooner rather than later.
I expect Ball to force the pace, break his opponent down and stop him in the second half of the contest.
Best bet - 1pt - Nick Ball to win by KO/ TKO - 10/11 (various)
1pt - Whyte vs Itouma over 4.5 rounds - 6/5 (various)
1pt - Adeleye to beat Hrgovic - 4/1 (various)
0.5pts - Adeleye to win via KO/ TKO vs Hrgovic - 7/1 (Betway)
1pt - Ball to beat Goodman via KO/ TKO - 10/11 (various)
Total staked - 3.5pts
As well as being the CEO of Odds Now, Max is a keen punter who specialises in combat sports.
Born and raised in the UK but now residing in Canada, his Saturday evenings usually revolve around taking in all the action from the biggest cards across the boxing and UFC scene.
Away from the ring, Max is also a keen follower of darts – another of his passions he gets to live and breathe via his work.
As well as being the CEO of Odds Now, Max is a keen punter who specialises in combat sports.
Born and raised in the UK but now residing in Canada, his Saturday evenings usually revolve around taking in all the action from the biggest cards across the boxing and UFC scene.
Away from the ring, Max is also a keen follower of darts – another of his passions he gets to live and breathe via his work.
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