Moses Itauma vs Prime Deontay Wilder

Stiverne was absolutely not a “no hoper” in the first fight. He was only a slight underdog going in, not some guy everyone expected Wilder to steamroll. Stiverne was regarded as a legitimate contender (and WBC champion) with a real chance of beating him.

"Heading into the bout boxing insiders were divided on who would win, although most expected it end in a stoppage for one or other fighter.["

Ortiz was viewed as a very live underdog to answer questions people were raising about Wilder. https://www.premierboxingchampions....-ton-questions-showdown-heavyweight-supremacy.

It is absolutely untrue that either were seen as no-hopers.

 

I can remember right after Ortiz knocked out Bryant Jennings and the division was scared shltless of him. He was a fast handed south paw with 250 lbs of raw power behind him. In the first fight with Wilder he had Deontay badly rocked to the point where it almost looked like Wilder was going to lose. He recovered and battered the crap out of him. The fact that Ortiz is brushed over as some second rate bum is staggering to say the least. I certainly didn’t see Joshua or Fury begging the man for a fight.

 

I don't even remember the odds at that time, but he was a no hoper for me. Both of them. I just remember them seeming overweight or too old.

Hey, I got it right, then, back when. I wish I could say that more often (I picked Itauma over Hrgovic, for example.. speed kills).

 

Ortiz was overhyped.. or just too old, to make good on those claims. He had his window too late.

 

He was a late bloomer. Boxing occasionally has those. And I would agree that he was slipping by the time of the rematch with wilder. But he was a very real threat in their first fight.

 

I did as well, but my pick was heavily influenced by how everyone was dismissing Hrgovic, giving him virtually no chance, and prematurely anointing Itauma as the second-youngest champion. Even then, I had reservations because I knew there were things that didn't add up. Itauma had beaten zero top-ten contenders, was extremely untested, and still had plenty of unanswered questions.

I even voted yes in the poll asking whether the odds for the fight were too wide. I thought Itauma was rightfully the favorite, but not remotely to the degree the odds suggested. And I'd already expressed that skepticism before the fight, in a thread asking whether he'd clear every pre-90s champion:

So I'm not just making some hindsight excuse to save face after the fact.

Itauma simply hasn't proven enough for me to favor him over Wilder. As much as Wilder's résumé gets criticized, Itauma hasn't beaten a single top-tenner. It's easy to look spectacular when you're running through the level of opposition he was facing. Once he finally got in there with someone who provided a legitimate test, I wouldn't say he "failed," but he definitely didn't live up to the surreal expectations that had been placed on him.

That said, I was actually more impressed by Itauma in defeat against Hrgovic than I was by many of his victories beforehand. I wouldn't say he was "exposed" so much as shown to be a work in progress with loads of potential. But potential is one thing; actually proving yourself against elite opposition is another.

 

Zhangs extensive amateur career presumably resulted in plenty of mileage. Especially given the guys he was fighting (Joshua, Dychko, Pulev, Parker, etc). Wilder fights often ended early without him taking much punishment. Those sort of fights don't add mileage.

I don't see the evidence backing up Ortiz being some sort of boogeyman. It seems like it's just an attempt to hype up Wilder and presumably Fury.

Would people really be talking about him as some boogeyman had Wilder not fought him. I don't get the hype.

 

Itauma is a far better boxer than prime Wilder but his stamina and defence? Its not good enough in a title fight, especially late on.

Itauma's philly shell defence leaves him open to a massive straight right too, which doesn't bode well against a prime Wilder who was actually pretty quick and obviously a huge puncher. Another tell, is that Itauma is open to the left hook, as Hrgovic showed - and if Wilder lands the right - he'll find room for the straight right then left hook combination.

 

Itauama hasnt proven enough for you? He did really good against Hrgovic, before getting stopped late!

Isn’t that the kind of thing you’d expect to CRUSH prime Wilder?!?!

I mean, Wilder has never come from behind to score a KO! How could he do it to Itauma?!?! Itauma only accidentally fell asleep against Hrgovic because he was tired, that won’t happen against Wilder, and he beat DILLIAN WHYTE IN 2025!!!!!!!

 

Iron chin? Based upon what? He was more protected than the president of the USA. Not a single top notch win in his career. Only one or two decent wins.

 

Wilder was losing to Szpilka when he ko'd him. Not on the crooked judges cards, but to any unbiased observer with any sense.

 

Yah it was a joke.

Wilder looked bad and then KO’d people several times.. He’d probably do the same to a guy who looks like needs to be put on oxygen and can’t stand straight half way through a fight.

 

Try reading the rest of the thread if you want explanations

 

Wilder didn't have iron chin, just the opposite. This is a guy who fought stiffs for the first 5-6 years of his career, some of whom had him on the canvas.

Then, he fought carefully selected fringe contenders, glass jawed has beens and other mediocre fighters who had even worse chins than he did to build up that bogus KO record.

The first decent fighter he fought who wasn't ancient - the light-hitting Fury - shattered his fragile chin.

Itauma would knock that glass jawed fraud out cold, early too!!

 

One thing I don’t see credit going to Wilder for is that he did actually sign to fight ******* Povetkin of all people back in 2016 for the WBC but the Russian failed a drugs test and the fight was off days before it was supposed to happen. He was going to Moscow too, like who wants to fight Povetkin lol, we all know his record. He was still very dangerous in 2016, even in 2020 as Whyte found out. Probably one of the best fighters of recent times never to win a title thanks to the reign of Wlad. I think that would have put an end to Wilder’s momentum but we never got to see it. You can say well he could have fought him later instead of a lot of the no hopers he banjoed.