Rising star Moses Itauma once said he wanted to beat Mike Tyson's record of becoming the youngest-ever world heavyweight champion.
The 20-year-old southpaw missed that wildly optimistic goal, but there's still time to join the list ahead of the likes of Floyd Patterson, Muhammad Ali and Joe Louis.
Not too bad if he can pull it off.
Itauma's priority at the moment, though, is veteran Dillian Whyte. They square off in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh on Saturday in a scheduled 10-round bout that could put Itauma in line for a title shot.
“This is the start of greatness,” the Slovakian-born British fighter said.
Itauma (12-0, 10 KOs) has drawn comparisons to both a young Tyson for his power and Oleksandr Usyk for his footwork. His 10 stoppages have come in either the first or second round.
Whyte represents a step up in caliber, though. The Jamaica-born Londoner (31-3, 21 KOs) has fought Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury — losing both times — and has beaten Derek Chisora and Joseph Parker. Now 37 years old, “The Body Snatcher” is a 7-1 underdog, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
“I’m someone that is not supposed to be here, never a great amateur career, no support,” Whyte said at Thursday's press conference. “I’m a kid from Jamaica who’s been written off many times, meant to be dead before I was in my 20s, but here I am.”
Whyte has talked down his chances in the buildup to the fight, but Itauma responded by citing Robert Greene’s best-selling self-help book — which along with Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War” has been banned by U.S. prisons.
“There’s a rule in ‘The 48 Laws of Power’ where you play a sheep to catch a wolf. I feel like that’s what Dillian Whyte is doing,” Itauma said.
Whyte responded: “There’s a lot of wolves around here but no sheep.”
Itauma's promoter, Frank Warren, said it was difficult to find an opponent.
“A lot of people were avoiding Moses — 20-year-old undefeated prodigy," he said. "The only man who was willing to take up the gauntlet was the warrior Dillian Whyte. We know he always comes to fight.”
There's a scenario in which Itauma could next fight for the WBO title. Usyk, the undisputed world heavyweight champion, has been ordered to defend the WBO belt against mandatory challenger Parker. If that doesn't happen, Usyk could relinquish the crown, making Parker the champion to face the No. 1 contender, which is currently Itauma.
Whyte has trimmed down for Saturday's fight and “understands what’s at stake here,” Buddy McGirt, who is Whyte's trainer, told DAZN.
“If Dillian loses, it’s over. If Moses loses, he can always come back,” McGirt said. “He can’t be reckless with this kid. He’s athletic, he’s fast, he can punch and more importantly he can fight. We can’t make any mistakes.”
Itauma cautioned that he's not looking beyond Saturday.
“We’re all heavyweights here — any fight can end at any point, so I’m not delusional,” he said. “I know what threat Dillian Whyte poses, so I’m not overlooking him.”
AP boxing: https://apnews.com/hub/boxing
FILE - Dillian Whyte of Britain celebrates winning a heavyweight undercard boxing match against Mariusz Wach of Poland at the Diriyah Arena, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)
FILE - Britain's Moses Itauma, center, celebrates after beating Australia's Demsey McKean in their heavyweight boxing fight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez used her first state of the union message Thursday to advocate for opening the crucial state-run oil industry to more foreign investment following the Trump administration's pledge to seize control of Venezuelan crude sales.
For the first time, Rodríguez laid out a vision for Venezuela’s new political reality — one that challenges her government’s most deeply rooted beliefs less than two weeks after the United States captured and toppled former President Nicolás Maduro.
Under pressure from the U.S. to cooperate with its plans for reshaping Venezuela’s sanctioned oil industry, Maduro's former vice president declared that a “new policy is being formed in Venezuela."
She urged the foreign diplomats in attendance to tell investors abroad about the changes and called on lawmakers to approve oil sector reforms that would secure foreign firms' access to Venezuela’s vast reserves.
“Venezuela, in free trade relations with the world, can sell the products of its energy industry,” she said.
The Trump administration has said it plans to control future oil export revenues to ensure it benefits the Venezuelan people.
In that vein, Rodríguez described cash from the oil sales flowing into two sovereign wealth funds, one to support crisis-stricken health services and another to bolster public infrastructure, much of which was built under Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez, and has since deteriorated.
These days the country's hospitals are so poorly equipped that patients are asked to provide supplies needed for their care, from syringes to surgical screws.
While Rodríguez criticized the U.S. capture of Maduro and referred to a “stain on our relations," she also promoted the resumption of diplomacy between the historic adversaries. Her succinct, 44-minute speech and mollifying tone marked a dramatic contrast to her predecessors' fiery rants against U.S. imperialism that often went on for hours.
“Let us not be afraid of diplomacy,” Rodriguez. “I ask that politics not be transformed, that it not begin with hatred and intolerance.”
The day before, she gave a 4-minute briefing to the media to say her government would continue releasing prisoners detained under Maduro's harsh rule. But human rights groups have verified just a fraction of the releases that she claimed took place.
Rodríguez appears to be threading a needle.
A portrait of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, was displayed next to her as she spoke. She called for the U.S. government to "respect the dignity" of Maduro, who is being held in a Brooklyn jail after pleading not guilty to drug-trafficking charges. She portrayed herself as defending Venezuela's sovereignty even as the country warmed up to the U.S. with dizzying speed.
“If one day, as acting president, I have to go to Washington, I will do so standing up, walking, not being dragged," she said. "I'll go standing tall ... never crawling.”
Rodríguez delivered her speech as Venezuela's Nobel Prize-winning opposition leader María Corina Machado was the one in Washington to meet President Donald Trump.
Since Maduro's ouster, Trump has frozen Machado out of discussions about the nation's political fate while embracing Rodríguez, praising Maduro’s long-time loyalist as a “terrific person” after holding his first known phone call with her on Wednesday.
Machado, whose party is considered to have won the tumultuous 2024 presidential elections despite Maduro's claims of victory, said she presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to Trump during their closed-door conversation.
Emerging from the White House afterward, she greeted dozens of cheering supporters. "We can count on President Trump,” she told them, without elaborating.
Her role in Venezuelan politics remains uncertain as Rodríguez’s government has been effectively relieved of having to hold elections for the foreseeable future.
Machado’s meeting with Trump received no coverage in Venezuela.
The country's state-run TV still pumps out a steady stream of pro-government images, including various statements from Iranian and Russian officials decrying “U.S. aggression" and wall-to-wall coverage of state-orchestrated rallies demanding Maduro's return.
Crowds of teachers on Thursday marched through the streets of Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, carrying posters condemning the U.S. for “kidnapping” Maduro and chanting slogans in support of the government. National police wearing riot gear were everywhere. Pro-government graffiti scrawled across city walls read: “To doubt is to betray."
“They've kept the same anti-imperialist rhetoric going, but more moderated," said David Smilde, a Venezuela expert at Tulane University who has studied Venezuela for 30 years. “Their idea is to give Trump everything he wants economically, but stay the course politically."
On the streets of central Caracas, most Venezuelans going about their days declined to be interviewed about their opinions, fearful of government reprisals as Maduro's security apparatus remains intact. Others were simply at a loss of what to say about their country's strange new reality in which the U.S. claims to call the shots.
“It’s a complete sea of uncertainty, and the only one who now has the power to make decisions is the United States government,” said Pablo Rojas, 28, a music producer.
He said he was following Trump's meeting with Machado closely "to see if she takes a leadership position, if they consider her ready to lead the country or be a candidate." He shook his head in puzzlement. “It’s impossible to know what will happen.”
Associated Press writers Isabel DeBre in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Megan Janetsky in Mexico City contributed to this report.
Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez arrives at the National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez delivers her first state of the union address at the National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
Ceylis Mendez and her daughter Zoe cool off in the Gulf of Venezuela in front of the Cardon oil refinery off the shore of Punta Cardon, Venezuela, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Flames rise from flare stacks at the Amuay refinery in Los Taques, Venezuela, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez, left, and Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello arrive at the National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez addresses lawmakers next to a picture of former President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, at the National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez, center, her brother National Assembly President, Jorge Rodriguez, left, and Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello arrive at the National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez addresses the National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez addresses the National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez makes a statement to the press at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez, center, smiles flanked by Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, right, and National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez after making a statement to the press at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
