One of the brightest prospects in boxing returns to the ring on Dec. 21 when Moses Itauma (10-0) takes the ring against Demsey McKean (22-1). It's time to continue our boxing odds series with a Moses Itauma-Demsey McKean prediction and pick.

Itauma, 19, is coming off a second-round TKO win over former world title challenger Mariusz Wach. He will face another formidable opponent on the Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury 2 undercard once he steps into the ring with McKean.

The fight will end a long layoff for McKean, 34, who has not fought since August 2023. McKean suffered the first loss of his career in his last fight, falling to Filip Hrgovic by TKO in the final round.

Here are the Moses Itauma-Demsey McKean odds, courtesy of FanDuel 

Boxing Odds: Moses Itauma-Demsey McKean Odds

Moses Itauma: -1800

Demsey McKean: +700

How to Watch Moses Itauma-Demsey McKean

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Why Moses Itauma Will Win

Itauma is not the most powerful heavyweight, but his speed and volume are unmatched. If nothing else, he will be light-years faster than the sluggish McKean. He will need to pace himself, as McKean will not immediately fold with one shot like most of his previous opponents. But if he can find McKean's chin, another early knockout is not off the table.

While McKean has only been knocked out once, he has never faced a finisher as potent as Itauma. As such, his defensive instincts are poor. His go-to reaction is to stick his lead hand forward and duck, which directly led to his knockout loss to Hrgovic. A faster fighter than Hrgovic, which Itauma certainly is, would have finished that fight sooner.

Why Demsey McKean Will Win

Before he fought Wach, the knock on Itauma was his complete lack of competition. Ten fights into his career, Itauma has just three wins over fighters with double-digit victories as a professional. Even then, the 44-year-old Wach is certainly at the end of his lengthy career and is just 3-6 in his last nine fights. McKean will almost certainly be the toughest test of his career. The Australian will be three inches taller with a potentially slight weight advantage.

Due to the competition he has faced, Itauma has fought beyond the second round just twice. He has never been given a reason to, as most of the opponents he has faced simply could not handle his punches. McKean, whose only knockout loss was in the final round, will be the most durable opponent he has ever faced. Still just 19 years old, there is no reason to believe that Itauma does not have elite conditioning. We just have never seen it.

Final Moses Itauma-Demsey McKean Prediction & Pick

Surviving an initial storm will be key for McKean, who is practically guaranteed to face an early onslaught from Itauma. If he can survive that, this fight will certainly get slightly more interesting. However, for as much discredit Itauma receives for his resume, McKean's level of competition is equally as poor with the exception of Hrgovic.

That said, Itauma's size is still an issue. He has struggled with bigger heavyweights. Wach towered over Itauma, but at his current age, he is nothing more than a human punching bag. McKean leaves openings for a knockout, but they will be significantly harder for Itauma to find. This is not a developmental fight like most of his previous ones. Itauma still wins, but it will be tougher than the odds suggest.

Final Moses Itauma-Demsey McKean Prediction & Pick: Moses Itauma by decision (+390)