Based on Moses Itauma performance on Saturday how would he fare against the other current heavyweights?
At present wouldn’t be confident backing him against any of the top fifteen there
Moses has fast hands, good movement, and quite a bit of power. His chin looks better than average. Stamina and boxing IQ are the questions. I think he beats almost everyone on the list to the punch. Because few of them have Grade-A chins, the real issue is who on that list survives to round six against him? Heavyweight boxing is at a very weak point right now. So I would favor him vs most on the list.
I can’t assume a thing with a fighter that imploded in that fashion but I’m taking ‘based on’ to mean pretty much the version we saw. It was clear as early as the 3rd or 5th that he can be pushed and caught and visibly looking for answers. Hypotheticals are a dime a dozen and packed with endless variables and assumptions. What Filip had in beard and staying straight line to show it, other guys have in mobility, general speed and power and all around skillsets. Also considering that Moses is now coming in off such a devastating shock loss and big public let down. That’s always huge for any fighter taking a first big L. And in fairness, you have to consider Moses is also coming in with lessons learned…one would hope, but yet to actually be seen. We all know this division is in what feels like a prolonged recycling mode, with imo Fury v AJ at the forefront unfortunately. Tbh, I just want that carnival over with and heavyweight to start turning the page and mixing in ways beyond the standard “big names” fans default too over and over. Broken record here but Itauma and his people need to reset, complete. He has all the time in the world at 21 and approached properly with investment, the division is at his feet long term. No PPV, no overhyped mega fandango first back…I’d do like a Ibeh or Guido type. Shake out that mindset. And frankly a first clean KO of Guido is still solid all things considered. Get a couple fights in for Moses, and then stylistically I wouldn’t mind a Sanchez, Miller, Efe, Zhang or even a Hunter. Only because they can show him some needed looks, rounds and a couple can punch. Wilder is done. Anderson put the brakes on himself and mentally he’s done. Jalolov doesn’t even know if he wants to be a pro. Chisora should retire. Torrez who really knows but I think he’s reached his level. Bakole is away in witness protection or something. But he’s crafty while also catchable. I don’t think the last version of Moses I saw beats Kabayel or Dubois. Actually looking forward to Itauma returning and it’ll be interesting to see what and where they focus on.
how hrgovic beat itauma was he worked out from two rounds of boxing he was too quick with his counters to throw a good, honest punch at. but he punches in spurts (and has a really funny way of telling you when) and when hes not jumping in he has to rest so now you can get your punches in and not have to worry about his counters. so really you just have to scoot back when he wants to jump in (and he has a way to tell you when to) and time his rests because thats when he won’t counter you back. well, he may try to counter you here and there but his arms are going to be so tired and heavy he won’t want to because now his timing is going to be way off. just say no when he wants to jump in and you can pick and poke a big, tired guy trying to rest.
I think the top 5 would have survived the Itauma onslaught and manage to beat him.
Moses was spectacular for those 9 rounds but inexperience let him down badly.
Yuzo is right Moses does not have poker face he lets his opponent know how he is suffering in the ring.
The other 20 contenders would not have survived or have the resistance to fight back.
Going to be interesting watching Itauma come back and see how his career develops.
Itauma’s hand speed and the snap on those shots were the real story for six, seven rounds. He dropped Hrgović in the second, kept finding him with the left, and made a 34-year-old look like he was fighting in mud. Most of the current top five do not have the kind of chin-and-will combination that lets you eat that volume and still be standing when the younger man finally empties the tank. A lot of them would have been stopped earlier, or they would have been forced to box more conservatively and maybe never get the late opening Hrgović got. Chin plus resolve was the whole win. No one did what Itauma did to Hrgovic. That is not a stylistic masterclass. That is a man who would not go away. Itauma’s stock IMO went up in defeat, with an asterisk. He showed the tools people were selling. Speed, power, composure early, and the willingness to hunt a finish. He also showed the thing nobody could see until Saturday. He had never been asked to box past six rounds, he sold out for the knockout when Hrgovic would not fold, and his body shut down in a way that looked alarming even by heavyweight standards. Being stretchered out after a first loss at 21 is a different kind of scar than a close decision. The psychological piece is the real unknown. Physically he can rebuild. At 21 he has time, and he already posted the “I’ll be back” line. Mentally it can go either way. First loss plus a late collapse plus leaving the ring on a stretcher is the kind of night that either teaches a fighter how to pace a 12-round fight or sits in his head every time a veteran starts walking him down after round seven. Hrgovic called it correctly in the ring. Itauma is still the future if he absorbs the lesson. The next six to twelve months decide whether that future still looks like a title run or like a prospect who found out the hard way that elite power and speed are not enough if the engine dies in the eighth. You never know how a man recovers from a bad KO loss. The heavyweight division is at worse in 30 years.
It’s tough to make those predictions, based off that last showing.
He was SOOOOOO gassed in that last round… I’d never seen anything like it.
Can this be fixed?
Will his corner work on his stamina BIG time?
He’s got the skills and power to at least bother the guys at the top.
But it all hinges on his corner getting those MAJOR kinks worked out.
that and if you give him a little room he’ll sorta jab and jump in and you can see that. the cue specifically is he’ll dip a little and bend his knees just before he comes back up to punch but the jab always tells you hes getting ready to jump in and to start looking for your cue. its sort of his way of starting his sentences. like a heads up. as long as you keep giving him a little room he’ll keep telling you when hes about to jump in.
Mentally has he got it in him to do the roadwork and long rounds in sparring? If he can’t get his head into the space that reminds himself he has to go beyond himself, his body is never going to follow. It is why sometimes the less naturally gifted boxers manage to become great fighters. I get what Yuzo is saying but how do you coach those tells out of him without losing the fluid combinations. I can see sometimes he does not punch correctly and he could put a bit more edge on a lot of his work and defensively he needs to use space much better but for a big fella he has great potential.
I’d like to see him against Bakole. Naturally strong & throws lots & lots of punches!
Bakole has been MIA since he has been arguing with his promoter. He was easily stopped by Parker as well.