Reports that Itauma reportedly going to take Okolie over Gassiev

I would say Gassiev is a more dangerous opponent to face than Okolie.

A. He has operated at world level and did push Usyk close many years ago. Okolie's biggest step up was CBS which he lost to via a UD. Okolie also used extreme holding to beat domestic level fighters (Chamberlain).

B. Okolie has been extremely poor when not allowed to continuously hug his opponent on the inside. He lacks the skills to fight on the inside. Therefore, would be fairly easy as the "A" side to ensure the referee stops any holding, leaving him pretty much defenceless on the inside.

For those two reasons its an easier fight.

I will caveat that by saying that Gassiev has suffered serious injuries in the past, and if he gets injured again or an old injury resurfaces then it could be about as difficult as fighting Okolie. I am assuming Gassiev is now fit.

 

Cmon he's 44, looks lethargic off the eye test, has no ranked wins in the last 5 years, and lastly got beat up by chisora whom he beat when chisora was younger and fresher.

Why are you asking this

 

Chisora is 41 and looks horrible, he's done. Joyce is shot. Pulev is shot. This generation is over, Kevin Lerena beating Chisora would be no upset because he's lost over a DOZEN TIMES

 

He would not, the era is finished, but i guess you'll just have to see it. Gassiev doesn't beat anyone in the top 10

 

You thought Saunders would beat Canelo, no reason to dig things up

I agree he would, Jalolov is not top 10

 

Itauma would get not much credit for beating a guy who Otto Wallin beat clearly.
Gassiev has done nothing since then other than beat Kem Ljungquist and a 44 year old Pulev.
At least Okolie is taller and has a bigger reach than Itauma. But I wouldn't press a point that Okolie is better than Gassiev, stylistically or ability-wise or in terms of recent record. I see them about equal. Either of them "could" derail Itauma, in theory, they're not terrible opponents. But neither of them are a step up from Jermaine Franklin either, who may or may not cause Itauma some issues.
Problem with Itauma is they've hyped him too much, none of these opponents would satisfy that hype, even if he wins easily. But he's still so unproven, that any of these fringe contender types are theoretically a problem for him too (especially if he has a weakness of the chin).

 

Disagree that Franklin is at the same level as Okolie or Gassiev.

Franklin's career involves him fighting on the journeyman scene in the USA, before being cherrypicked from oblivion by Whyte for a ticking over fight. This was mainly because he does not have a big punch on him. Then AJ also cherrypicked him for a ticking over a fight. Franklin's career best win is Jerry Forrest, a man who is no stranger to brown envelopes and fighting as the away fighter when asked.

Both Okolie and Gassiev have actually fought as the home fighter in big fights and for world titles. They have bigger wins than Franklin does.

Franklin's peak has been as an away corner fighter expected to take an L. The Difference in levels and expectations is key here.

It is why you should pay more attention to a fighters wins, than the manner of their losses.

People made that mistake a few years back in horrendously over rating Wallin. All because of his glorious loss to Fury and look at how **** he has proven to be when now stepping up in level against better opponents.

 

Its going to be a very long night for Itauma if Okolie can grab ahold of him. Itauma clearly relies on his athleticism a fair bit, what happens to him when he has to wrestle for 4 rounds? What happens to him after he gets past the 4th round?
Itauma is probably the Zab Judah of heavyweight boxing.

 

That and he'll probably actually wind up fighting someone nowhere near as good as Okolie, even - as you say that disparity between talk and action: they talk him up for good fights and then feed him bums and corpses.

 

Pulev isn't even from the recently-finished era. He's from the era before. Pulev was exposed as ordinary at age 33, when he failed to give a 38 year old Klitschko a competitive challenge. He was perhaps hanging on in the bottom half of the top 10 for a few years after Wlad defeated him, simply by default. But that was clearly ended 5 years ago, when AJ knocked him out. Pulev at 44 is bottom of the barrel really.