‘Doctors said ‘continue and you die’: How a heart attack put boxer Karol Itauma on a new track

As Karol Itauma joins our Zoom call, he’s stepping out the door of a Harlow gym where his brother Moses is training. While Moses puts the final touches on his preparations for a first world heavyweight title fight, Karol wanders to his car and climbs into the driver’s seat to talk business with The Independent. This moment alone provides a concise example of how the brothers’ paths are diverging.

There was a time when one Itauma brother could not be mentioned without the other. But come summer 2024, Moses was obliterating Mariusz Wach in the ring, while Karol’s heart was attacking his own body.

Two years on, a 25-year-old Karol has only just made his health tribulations public. A sudden heart attack explains why the Kent light-heavyweight has not boxed since March 2025, while his 21-year-old brother is about to carry an unbeaten record into the O2 Arena, where Filip Hrgovic and a world heavyweight title await on 29 August.

Karol Itauma (pictured in 2024) has not boxed since March 2025 (Getty)

“I was gonna do a seven-day water fast, just to detox my body and reset my system to start camp again,” Karol says now, of the practice of consuming nothing but water for a specific period of time. “Come day five or six, I woke up in the morning and my heart started hurting. I thought, ‘That’s a bit strange,’ so I broke my fast with some fruit. Then I felt fine, so I thought: ‘I’m good now, let me just go for a run later on.’

“When I came back that night, the pain was a lot higher. I went to A&E, and they didn’t take me seriously at first. Then they took my blood, and my troponin level was 50,000; in a normal person, I believe it’s like 0.4 [nanograms per milliliter].”

Karol was transferred to William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, where he was kept for a number of days. A judgement on his boxing future was made by medical professionals at once.

“They pretty much told me then: ‘You’re not allowed…’ They told me that was pretty much it.”

That message would carry a sort of emotional annihilation for a 23-year-old, one might imagine, delivered to a Youth Olympics gold-medalist, a 13-1 professional prospect under Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions.

“It was tough for me,” he says, punctuating the word in the middle. “It’s your identity, when you’ve been doing something since you were 13. You almost don’t wanna believe it.

“I managed to get fighting fit again and had a fight literally eight months later, but when I went back for a check, they said: ‘Look, if you continue, you’re gonna die.’

“At that point, it was like: ‘Alright, cool, let me really try and resolve my situation first before I do anything else. So, that’s what I’ve been doing, trying to find ways to heal myself – if there is any way.

Boxer-turned-businessman Karol is setting up Club Eight Three, along with his brother and others (Karol Itauma)

“If not, my last option is… they want me to get a defibrillator, installed into my body. And as a 25-year-old now, the thought of having a defibrillator, it’s kinda scary to me.

“Although it might not limit my life that much, it’s still something going inside your body that’s going to have an effect on your heart. So at the moment, I’m trying to exhaust all the natural remedies, I’m exploring different doctors.”

Karol is speaking on the week that Allan Nascimento, an active UFC fighter, died aged 34 due to a sudden heart attack. The Brazilian reportedly passed away in his sleep.

Such news is jarring, to say the least, as it always is when someone fit dies while in the prime of their life. Perhaps Karol’s own close shave goes some way to explaining his new venture: setting up Club Eight Three in Medway, Kent, a private members’ club with a focus on fitness, recovery and longevity.

As Karol sees it, Club Eight Three is a bid to bring the health and fitness levels of pro athletes to hobbyists who hold a fierce passion for training and wellbeing. He cites an on-site nurse, blood tests, IV drips and cryotherapy among the offerings at the club, which is seen as the first location of a possible eight around Europe – although Karol is coy on his dream destination. “I’m sure guys are gonna know sooner or later,” he smiles.

Karol with his brother Moses (left) and promoter Frank Warren (Getty)

Reflecting on the inception of the idea to build such a club, Karol says: “You know them dinner-table talks, like, ‘It’d be amazing to have a gym one day…’ When my incident happened, I thought: ‘How can I still find a purpose, a passion, something I can work on and feel fulfilled once I achieve it?'”

Meanwhile, Moses’s purpose remains chasing world heavyweight title glory.

“My brother is a special individual, full stop,” Karol says. “He’s one that’s been gifted by God with an ability to not only handle pressure at such a young age, but also perform an art to such a high level – because boxing is an art in itself.

“That’s testament to his hard work and dedication over the years, [it’s like] he’s been boxing longer than he’s been alive. Boxing has become a part of him, and it’s just beautiful to see him on that journey. By the grace of God, on 29 August 2026 he becomes the second-youngest heavyweight world champion in history.”