Moses Itauma’s chin remains unchecked in the paid ranks, but one of his sparring partners hit him so hard he thought his gloves were loaded.
The precocious 20-year-old talent has barely put a foot wrong in 13 (13-0) professional fights.
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Itauma has barely put a foot wrong during a perfect 13-0 start to life in the paid ranksCredit: Getty
Only two opponents, journeymen boxers Kevin Nicolas Epinolda and Kostiantyn Dovbyshchenko, have survived to hear the final bell, while the rest have been blown away inside two frames.
His last outing in August against Dillian Whyte was expected to be his toughest test to date.
However, Itauma dispatched the former world title challenger with ease in 119 seconds.
According to CompuBox, Itauma absorbs an average of 2.4 punches per round – the fewest in the heavyweight division.
So it begs the question, who could have possibly hit him with enough to catch his attention?
“Off the top of my head, you got this kid called Luka Pratljacic,” Itauma told Ring Magazine when asked who hit him the hardest.
“He’s a Croatian guy. I think he’s still an amateur; he might have had one fight as a pro.
“Honestly, getting hit by him, I felt like I was getting hit by a baseball bat.
“It wasn’t even landing clean, and I was like, ‘Someone check his gloves,’ but he was wearing my gloves! His punches were very hard.”
Like any up-and-coming fighter, sparring has been invaluable to Itauma’s development.
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Itauma has sparred the likes of Fury and JoshuaCredit: Instagram – Moses Itauma
The Chatham southpaw has shared the ring with Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, Joe Joyce and Lawrence Okolie, to name a few.
It is therefore a massive compliment that Itauma singled out Luka Pratljacic.
Who is Luka Pratljacic?
The Croatian was drafted into Itauma’s camp to help him prepare for his bout with Demsey McKean last December.
Pratljacic’s dimensions and southpaw stance made him an ideal candidate to emulate the Australian’s style.
At the time, the 28-year-old hadn’t yet made his professional debut, although that changed in May when he blew away 2-3 fighter Emil Zgyuga in one round.
In September, he returned to the amateurs to compete at the World Championships in Liverpool as a super heavyweight.
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Pratljacic hit Itauma the hardest out of anyone he shared the ring withCredit: Facebook – Matej Matkovic
Pratljacic defeated New Zealand’s Miracle Ki and Stylianos Roulias of Greece in his first two bouts before coming unstuck against eventual Kazakh gold medal winner Aibek Oralbay in the quarter-finals.
Outside of his deep run at the Worlds, his best achievement to date is a bronze medal at the European under-23 Championships.