Two nights before he walks into the O2 Arena for the vacant IBF heavyweight title, Moses Itauma is being claimed not only as a British prospect, but as a son of Eket.

Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, has thrown the weight of the state behind the 21-year-old, whose father is from Eket, as he prepares to face Croatia’s Filip Hrgovic on Saturday, 29 August, in London.

The message, delivered by the Commissioner for Sports, Elder Paul Bassey, was more than a courtesy note. It was a public assertion of belonging. Itauma was born in Kežmarok, Slovakia, to a Slovak mother and a Nigerian father, and was raised in Britain. He fights under the Union Jack. But Governor Eno presented him as an ambassador of Akwa Ibom and Nigeria whose rise has put the state on the world boxing map.

That rise is now on the edge of history. Itauma is 14-0 with 12 knockouts. A win over Hrgovic (20-1, 15 KOs) for the belt vacated by Oleksandr Usyk would make him the youngest world heavyweight champion since Mike Tyson.

The Governor praised Itauma’s discipline and courage, and told him he will not step into the ring alone. The prayers and support of Akwa Ibom and Nigeria, he said, will travel with him.

He urged the fighter to stay focused and carry into the bout the same winning mentality that has defined his short professional career.

“Akwa Ibom is behind you. Nigeria is behind you. Go forth and make us proud, Moses,” Governor Eno said. Then he reached for the language of his administration: “ARISE, Moses, ARISE!”

Itauma has already said a recent visit to his father’s homeland answered questions about identity that boxing alone could not. Saturday will test something else: whether the young heavyweight with Eket blood, Slovak birth and a British ring education can take a vacant world title before he turns 22.

For Uyo, the fight is no longer a distant London card. It is a home bout fought on foreign canvas.