A heavyweight boxing behemoth who Alex Pereira previously sparred faced a surging contender on the Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury 2 undercard on Saturday. In mere minutes, Pereira’s former sparring foe suffered defeat at the hands of teenage phenom Moses Itauma.
Demsey McKean, who Pereira sparred with earlier this year, got finished by Itauma in the leadup to the Fury vs. Usyk heavyweight main event rematch. In the first round of the fight, Itauma landed a massive overhand left that sent McKean collapsing in the ring, twisting and turning 180 degrees as a result of a single punch.
The 19-year-old Itauma is one of heavyweight boxing’s rising stars and has been compared to Boxing Hall of Famer Mike Tyson. The win over McKean moved him to 11-0 in his professional boxing career with nine wins by knockout.
Just months ago, Pereira and McKean met in the ring via a sparring session leading up to Pereira’s UFC 307 return. The two sides traded blows in sparring footage you can watch below, although the tactics and experience of McKean were enough to keep the always-dangerous Pereira out of range.
