Is Itauma Being Protected? Warren’s Plans Questioned

Promoter Frank Warren says Moses Itauma has the power to knock out anybody in the division, including unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, if he lands clean. Warren still hasn’t decided if Itauma (12-0, 10 KOs) will fight on the undercard of the Usyk vs. Daniel Dubois card on July 19th event at Wembley Stadium. They need to decide that and who Itauma, 20, will be fighting next.

Fan Impatience Over Itauma’s Progress

Fans are becoming impatient with the progress being made in Itauma’s career, as he’s still not fighting world-class opposition. More importantly, he’s knocking everyone out within two rounds, yet he’s not being stepped up. Some people compare Itauma’s development to super middleweight Edgar Berlanga. They view it as a formula for creating a fake marketable star.

On social media, fans want Itauma to fight one of these fighters next:

– Filip Hrgovic
– Zhilei Zhang
– Fabio Wardley
– Bakhodir Jalalov

“We’re going to make a decision this week. We’ve got a few things to sort out,” said Frank Warren to talkSPORT Boxing when asked if Moses Itauma will fight on July 19th, Oleksandr Usyk vs. Daniel Dubois undercard at Wembley Stadium.

“That’s not what is going to make Moses Itauma. He’s well past that,” said Frank about a fight between Moses and Martin Bakole. “He’s too slow, he’s too ponderous, and if you get hit by him, you should be arrested for loitering. We’ll do what we need to do in our own time and our own fashion.”

If not Bakole, who will Itauma fight next in July? Francis Warren mentioned Jermaine Franklin and Otto Wallin. Those guys aren’t better than Bakole. Even the obese 310-lb Bakole, who was knocked out in two rounds by Joseph Parker last February, is better than those guys. If Itauma fights Wallin or Franklin next, it tells you all you need to know about him. He’s not being developed. He’s being protected.

Itauma’s Power to Damage Usyk

“I think anybody he hits, anybody in the heavyweight division, if he catches them, it’ll do some damage,” said Warren about the 20-year-old Itauma. “If he caught Usyk, he’d knock him out. I generally believe that. But he needs a few more fights and a bit more development. He’s [Itauma] doing what he has to do and going about it in the right way.”

Itauma is more like a British version of Murat Gassiev, but with a more one-handed approach. Usyk dominated Gassiev, easily outboxing him to win a 12-round decision in 2018. Unlike Itauma, Gassiev possesses power in both hands, yet he couldn’t do anything against Usyk.

I don’t think Itauma would catch Usyk often enough for him to knock him out. He only has a left hand. You can tell when he’s about to throw it. Usyk would pick Itauma apart, school him with his boxing skills and experience. The problem that Moses has is that he hasn’t been developed at all by his promoters.

Itauma turned pro after a short 24-fight amateur career. He didn’t fight all the great talents in the amateur ranks that 2012 Olympic gold medalist Usyk did. In contrast, Oleksandr had 335 amateur fights. Itauma is really having his amateur career now, but he’s not fighting the talented opposition that fighters compete against. He’s being put in with ham & eggers, and there seems to be some resistance in stepping him up against top-tier opposition. When you see a fighter continually matched against tomato cans by their promoters, it’s a red flag.

Will Itauma Reign for Long?

“When he wins that world title, he’ll be the youngest Brit to win a world title for sure, any world title for sure. More importantly, he’ll reign for a long time. He’s 20 years of age. He’s not matured yet as a man. He’s 254 pounds on Saturday, and he moves around like a light heavyweight,” said Warren about Itauma.

The only way Itauma can win a world title is by waiting out Usyk until he vacates or goes after the WBA ‘regular’ belt held by 44-year-old Kubrat Pulev. That’ll likely be the option for Itauma – waiting out Usyk until he retires. However, Itauma lacks the talent to “reign for a long time,” as Warren predicts. He can only reign if he’s protected with careful matchmaking to avoid the killers in the division who would expose his one-dimensional offense.

Moses looks soft already at 250+ lbs, and as he gets older, he’ll put on more weight, getting fat, slow, and easier to hit. Normally, fighters aren’t already that big at 20. It’s a bad sign for a young person at Itauma’s age, who already weighs a soft-looking 254. I see him slowing down and turning into a blubbery fighter like another Andy Ruiz as he gets older.