My issue with guys like Itauma and Bam

You are correct that for a while there Bam was beating old men. However, there is one thing to remember about that. Nobody else was beating those old men. That’s part of how you know that he is the real deal. He did what others couldn’t do.

As far as Itauma is concerned, you’re right. He is beating up mediocre old men. However, at this stage of his career that seems like the right kind of people to fight. It’s more that the fans are anointing him than anything else. I think his people are moving him along correctly.

 

Bam Rodriguez has been beating everybody, both older fighters and prime top contenders.

I agree about Itauma though, he has yet to face a prime top 50 opponent. We still don't know how well he would do against a real heavyweight contender, not some fat old journeyman with a big belly and sagging breasts like Franklin.

By the time Mike Tyson turned 21, he had already fought and beat 3 prime top ten heavyweights. Moses Itauma is no Mike Tyson.

 

In Bam’s last fight, he beat up Martinez, who was the #2 boxer in the super flyweight division. Martinez probably beats everyone else in the division, but Bam is just that good.

 

But in his fourteenth fight, Tyson knocked out Sammy Scaff. To that point, it was his best win, previously eclipsing Donnie Long. Through his fourteen fights. Itauma has faced more capable competition. It's way too early to state he's better, but he's passing the eye test against a generally higher level of opponent than Tyson was during the beginning stage of their respective careers.

 

Itauma is 14 fights in

What exactly do you want?

 

Its not too early to tell. There,s no way on earth Moses is anywhere near a 21 year old Mike Tyson. Tyson beat scaff and Long etc in his first year as a professional at 18. As well as having 15 fights that first year. By the second year he,d won the title. Fighting 13 times beating berbick, ribalta, ferguson, ratliffe, tillis, green and marvis frazier etc.

He fought and beat james tillis and mitch green 17 days apart. Thats a run without proper breaks or fight camps etc.

Moses is getting 5 months plus between fights. Full fight camps etc.

Two very different levels of talent.

 

Itauma has an excuse he is a prospect. Bam made his whole career on beating up past prime old fighters.

 

Tyson was brought on fighting often and regular, so his level at 14 fights is different to those fighting once in a blue moon.

the time as a pro would be a better comparison

 

Fighters get heavily hyped by their own countrymen. I knew American boxing was in the doldrums a few years back when they started hyping a guy fighting at Junior Bantam called "Bam". I can't say I paid much attention at the time & then the next thing I know the American journos are all putting him in their P4P lists. I was like, wtf? Come on guys, give it a rest. Did he face that really good Japanese Junior Bantam who travelled to America & flatlined Andrew Moloney? No, why not? I will have to leave my analysis there b/c I've actually never watched him fight. Maybe I will understand if I do. I just thought it was extraordinary that the Americans were pumping up his tyres to the extent that they were. I mean, since when did Americans give a toss about what's going on in the Junior Bantam division? It felt to me like they were trying to compensate for something. As for Itauma, we need to remember that if you are matched carefully you can go a long way with not much in the Heavyweight division. Itauma looks like he's got a bit more than not much so in the Heavyweight division you would have to say he's got the potential to go a long way. My only real reservation on him is that he reminds me to some extent of very talented rugby league kids who kill it at junior level & when they first hit the top grade but who don't go on with it & become the big stars that you thought they were going to be. These are guys with the same roly poly build as Itauma who probably don't work quite as hard as they should, don't have the height to carry a bit of extra pudding & aren't quite as dynamic as they get a bit older. That explosive speed diminishes which reduces their effectiveness. He's got a tinge of that about him to me. The good news is that he's a professional boxer & not a rugby league player.

 

Being fair to Itauma, he is only 21 years old and is eyeing better opposition.

 

A lot of hype about Bam but they won't put him near Inoue until Inoue is at least mid 30's that seems to be the pattern with a lot of these guys. If he is as good as they claim fight Inoue now. He would get a lot more respect even if he lost but they would rather protect his zero.

 

Inoue would destroy him.

 

It doesn’t matter that Moses Itauma has better competition for his 14th fight if he only fights twice a year. Tyson began his professional debut in 1985 and won the title in 1986. Tyson was fighting very frequently, often multiple times in a short period.

 

True. Itauma has 14 fights in 3 years.

Tyson has had 7 world title fights in 3 years.That's a HUGE difference