Moses Itauma rejects IBF final eliminator vs Frank Sanchez

All there is to it. Seems to be a real trend with certain boxers.

 

Well I mean he is way younger than even the other current prospects, let alone contenders, if he lives the life and doesn't fall of a cliff there is a decent chance he could age out everyone in the top 20 if a prodigy doesn't come along.

It would suck though and realistically I don't see Itauma as the type to hang around if he isn't advancing.

 

You guys are underrating Sanchez. He is one of the best HWs in the world. Not the best but hes got a shot at beating anyone.

 

He's not. He was losing rounds against Carlos Negron. He has good technique and fast hands but he's too inactive. Anyone in the top 5 would dominate him

 

Everyone is inactive.

Sanchez is a 25-1 33 year old. Thats a fairly typical workrate in the era of inactivity.

 

I think Sanchez is pretty good, not great, but definitely a long night for anyone provided that he is healthy and focused.

 

I meant inactive in the ring. Sanchez doesn't throw enough punches, he will fail at world level

 

Itauma has only fought three rounds in 2024; he needs to get out there and fight anyone who will take him on. Sanchez would be a reasonable fight to keep busy, and wouldn't go in there shot to bits like Whyte did. Itauma probably wins in 3/4 rounds, but inactivity is not good, especially so early on in a career.

 

It makes sense. Itauma has literally fought no one who throws back at him and who doesn't just willingly back up to the ropes and let Itauma tee off on them. Sanchez may not be anything special at world level, but he is a million times better than what Itauma has faced so far.

I'm guessing all the talk of Itauma facing Usyk or Parker was from Turki. It certainly didn't feel like it was coming from Warren as Warren is an extremely cautious promoter who rarely takes risks. Since Turki hasn't mentioned an Itauma v Usyk / Parker fight in awhile (to the best of my knowledge), I imagine Warren has told Turki to calm down and let Itauma develop at a much slower pace.

Warren will want to wait at least a year (once Usyk has retired) before he unleashes him at world level. To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if Warren waits 2-3 years. Itauma is very young, untested, and in the past year has been very inactive for a young and inexperienced fighter. Once Usyk retires, the top contenders will be fighting it out for the belts. There will be a lot of tough, aging fights for these guys as many of them are evenly matched. Many aren't spring chickens either. So, in 2-3 years time you will have Usyk, AJ, and Fury gone, plus, Parker, Dubois, Kabayel, etc, will be older and with more miles on the clock. This would be the perfect time for Itauma to swoop in and pick off the champions (as long as he has developed well and answered all the unanswered questions about himself).


I'm not saying I want the above, but it certainly fits Warren's overly cautious MO. Also, Turki may be up for that route, as well, as Itauma has the potential to be the main money man in boxing; he's an HW, hits hard, has an exciting style, and is in a top boxing market in the UK. Turki and Warren won't want to derail the possibility of that happening, so I expect a more traditional and cautious career path to world level for Itauma going forwards.