A decade-long pro career under his belt by 2024, the Australian had been around the block and won rounds against Filip Hrgovic in his previous outing before a 12th-round stoppage loss in their IBF world title eliminator.

The 16-month layoff between fights didn't help matters for the proud Queenslander, though Itauma didn't allow him a chance to get settled and made an explosive statement on the Oleksandr Usyk-Tyson Fury II undercard.

A right-left combination 30 seconds into the contest foreshadowed the finish, as Itauma evaded capture while moving plenty to negate McKean's physical advantages while making the more experienced man bite on feints.

McKean was floored by a looping left hand less than 90 seconds in and his 6-foot-6 frame abruptly contorted as his right knee gave way from the sheer force of an overhand left connecting clean before two minutes were up.

Queensberry chief Frank Warren had spoken cautiously during that fight week, wondering aloud whether they were being too hasty in matching Itauma with someone who Hrgovic needed 12 rounds to dispatch. He needn't.

"When I took the Moses fight, I didn't have a fight for almost a year-and-a-half and would've been grateful to get one in the meantime but we were separating from the Matchroom contract, looking to sign with Queensberry, wanted a stay-busy fight before then but the times didn't align," McKean tells The Ring.

While a calculated gamble that didn't pay off, what stands out from the experience?

"What caught me off guard was his speed. He's just so fast for a general heavyweight, we sparred southpaw cruiserweights and I did some work with Opetaia to get used to that pace. Ring rust doesn't help either, felt like I needed a good couple of rounds to get into rhythm but Moses is a beast, he doesn't give you time to breathe.

"He's the last guy who will give you time to warm into the fight - we expected that - I wanted to drag it into the later rounds but that didn't go to plan because he starts very fast."

Having inked a multi-fight deal with Matchroom in November 2021, he only made four appearances under their promotional banner after relocating his training base 10,000 miles away to British shores. Trained by Tony Sims and based in Brentwood, he benefited from sparring Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte before making the move.

Australia remains an overlooked region as far as fighting talent is concerned, with Ring cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia (30-0, 23 KOs) and former IBF 140-pound champion Liam Paro (27-1, 16 KOs) two of very few notable names making waves worldwide. The Tszyu brothers, Tim and Nikita, are at very different stages of their careers, while hope remains for 2024 Olympian heavyweight Teremoana Teremoana and super middleweight Max McIntyre.

McKean (24-2, 16 KOs) knows he's in the sport's glamour division and impressive wins on big platforms, aged 35, are his currency to snare another world-level opponent. Having been given Queensberry's blessing, he came through a potential banana skin with a seventh-round stoppage of Toese Vousiutu (8-3, 7 KOs) on the Nikita Tszyu-Michael Zerafa undercard in mid-January, who counts Teremoana and Frazer Clarke as former amateur foes.

Clarke faces Justis Huni as part of the Tyson Fury-Arslanbek Makhmudov undercard next month, another Aussie on the rebuild trail after a come-from-behind stoppage defeat by WBO world champion Fabio Wardley last June.

"Angelo di Carlo [his manager] was in talks with Queensberry trying to get a lower-tiered fight to break into. They offered Moses and that was the only opportunity, a four-fight deal, we backed ourselves but it didn't work out. Once we get a couple of notable wins, we'll land a bigger fight and that's what they want us to do as well," he says.

Having featured on Australian pay-per-view already to start the year, another highlight reel knockout as part of the proposed Lewis Crocker-Liam Paro undercard this summer could earn him considerably favor across the pond.

American heavyweight hope Jared Anderson (18-1, 15 KOs) has this week signed a co-promotional deal and will face Solomon Dacres on the Wardley-Dubois undercard May 9, while former world champion Joseph Parker (36-4, 24 KOs) and Zhilei Zhang (27-3-1, 22 KOs) are just two of their overseas contingent rebuilding after defeats.

Back among familiar surroundings down under alongside wife Elayna, who was pregnant with their first child Mason, the 35-year-old southpaw speaks with renewed vigor about his own fighting future. The Itauma defeat marked his first appearance under new coach Fidel Tukel, based on the Gold Coast.

"I was shopping around for a new coach back home and Angelo recommended him, I really liked the work I've been doing with him as he's got me back fighting long and tall again. Developing a style that works for me, we needed more time together and have had that, plenty of sparring and starting to gel now too."