Ahead of his brutal destruction of Jermaine Franklin last month, every man and his dog was talking about what the rising star needed to do to prove himself.

But with the calming presence of trainer Ben Davison in his corner, Itauma remained fully focused on the task at hand to stop Franklin in devastating fashion inside five rounds in Manchester.

And he remains determined to only listen to the voices that count throughout what promises to be a long and successful career.

Speaking exclusively to DAZN News, 21-year-old Itauma said: “There's a reason why I don't listen to the news, to boxing pundits, because they're not my trainers.

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Moses Itauma becomes boxing superstar with destructive knockout

Watch Itauma vs. Franklin fight highlights

 

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“I do what my trainers tell me to do — and that's kind of it. Anyone else, unless their opinion is valid, as in they've done something to validate their opinion, I don’t listen.

“For example, if Mike Tyson was to tell me something, or Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, Billy Joe Saunders, any of them said it to me, I'd get my notebook out and start making notes.

“But if I got Tom, Dick or Harry telling me what to do, I'm going to say I appreciate your opinion, or thank you for telling me your opinion, but I really wouldn't listen to that.

“I wouldn't go and start commenting on football, saying you should do this or that.

“When I go to a game, I purely appreciate the football. I appreciate the sport. I'm not going to go and give my opinion, because I don't know anything about the sport.

“And I guess that's because I'm in boxing and I've got to deal with other people's opinions. But it is what it is, isn't it?

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“I'm doing boxing my own way. The BDPC [Ben Davidson Performance Centre] way. I'm doing it that way, do you get what I mean? I don't need to be like anyone else.”

Reflecting on the win over Franklin, who had previously never been stopped, unbeaten Itauma added: “I think the whole night was good. I enjoyed every bit of it.

“I started off too fast, then I slowed myself down. I learnt.”

While it remains to be seen who will be next for boxing’s newest sensation, promoter Frank Warren insists he would already back him against heavyweight kingpin Oleksandr Usyk — and Itauma wouldn’t hesitate to accept the challenge.

He said: “I'll back myself against Usyk as well. Since I've turned professional, I've been telling everybody how good I am.

“I'm not saying I've convinced people now, but they’re starting to listen.”

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