Moses Itauma vs Dillian Whyte LIVE: Score and round-by-round updates as the two British heavyweights clash in eagerly anticipated bout

The calm confidence he exudes had to be retrieved once along the way. Itauma says: ‘I got to the point where I knew I could KO the opponents I was being matched against but didn’t feel I was progressing to a higher level as a boxer. I was beginning to hate it.

'Then we brought in Ben Davison as my trainer and he brought me back from the brink of giving up. Opened my mind to the complete boxer I hope to become. And for this one he has taught me to take advantage of every opportunity Whyte gives me with his aggressive style.

Ben has convinced me that I can be the undisputed world champion.’ His brother Karol, himself a light-heavyweight, says: ‘It’s not ego. Just that he’s cold. Specially in the ring.’

Whyte was left bristling and bemused after an announcer messed up his boxing nickname - and accidentally described him as an infant abductor.

The heavyweight typically goes by the moniker of 'body snatcher' - a reference to his aggressive style of targeting the torso.

But at the Grand Arrivals in Riyadh, ahead of his Saturday showdown with Moses Itauma, Whyte suffered the embarrassment of being called the 'baby snatcher'.

Whyte was forced to pull out of his highly anticipated fight with Joe Joyce after suffering a serious finger injury in training. While initial reports suggested Whyte had withdrawn due to inflammation, the British heavyweight has revealed that the damage is far worse.

The injury occurred during a strength and conditioning session when Whyte's finger was crushed between two weights, resulting in a deep laceration that went down to the bone and damaged the nerve.

EXCLUSIVE DETAILS CAN BE FOUND BELOW

The question, while he has been felling big men like saplings, is whether his own chin can withstand sledgehammer blows. ‘It’s not like I’ve never been hit,’ Itauma says. ‘Some of these guys have caught me a couple of times even though with the skills to go with my power I try not be punched too much.

'But any heavyweight can be knocked out if an opponent hits the spot and don’t forget I’ve sparred thousands of rounds with bigger men. ‘The hardest I’ve ever been hit was in the gym by a Croatian whose name I can’t remember. It was like being slugged with a baseball bat. But I took it.’

Itauma ahead of the fight: ‘I know Dillian has the experience and the punch to still pose a threat to anyone. But I would be very disappointed if I didn’t stop him. I’d consider it a failure.’

Itauma ahead of the fight: ‘I’m never anxious before a fight. Not against any opponent. I’ve not been sleeping well at night before facing Dillian but not because of nerves. Just that my mind keeps me awake thinking about every detail of our plan to beat him. Rehearsing the way to react to the moves he wakes by knocking him out.’

Hello and welcome to tonight's live blog for Moses Itauma's fight with Dillian Whyte. There is so much at stake for both men. The pressure is on Itauma's shoulders heading into the fight as he looks to make a statement during his biggest test to date.

Meanwhile, some believe this could be Whyte's last real roll of the dice! So, make sure you stay tuned as we'll be bringing live updates from the card and as well as round-by-round updates from the main event.