Whyte was sent sprawling from a short right hook; he fell face first heavily and somehow beat the count, but his legs betrayed him for just a few seconds. He stood, unsteady and glassy eyed, and the fight was sensibly waved off. Whyte complained, Itauma celebrated, and the sport has a new star.

The win over Whyte was Itauma's ninth consecutive knockout victory, all within the first two rounds. Many believed that Whyte, the former WBC interim heavyweight champion, would be the first fighter to drag him into deep waters, but Itauma treated him the same way he has done to every other opponent in his career.

Follow live reaction as rising star Itauma stops Whyte in the first round of their heavyweight clash in Saudi Arabia