H Fury is a dangerous fight to take for a 20 yr old. Big, awkward & Allen says he is the most teak tough fighter hes sparred alongside the Juggernaut
Hughie Fury's actually potentially a decent test still. It's hard to say because Hughie hasn't fought anyone good for years. I think he was even out of the ring for a couple of years at least. But he's not an old man. He's a spoiler, a bit cagey, always was durable. But he's hardly known to be a 'live' contender in 2025 either.
I guess Hughie would be a step up but it's hard to say. He looked ok against Hammer 4 years ago but he's been ill, injured, inactive at times. Who knows how close he can get to his best now, which previously wasn't good enough to beat Parker/Pulev/old Povetkin. Itauma's potential pitfalls are complacency, pressure to make a statement and inexperience: never been past 6 rounds, never been seriously hit in a pro fight, never had to adapt, display/conserve stamina or show heart.
H Fury is a better fight than Chisora. Chisora is 42 in December, and he's already exhibiting signs of CTE. The Itauma fight would be horrid, and I am glad he declined it.
It’s already been confirmed it’s not Hughie I believe. Thank God, the idea of Hughie in the main event of a PPV makes me sick.
Hearing it could be Itauma vs Hunter. Good matchmaking by Bricktop if that’s the case. Hunter has a bit of a name but hasn’t looked good recently.
They should stick him in with Big Baby Miller or Dough Boy ($) Bakole. If Itauma blasts either of them out in a couple of rounds, then it has to be a title shot next — because no one outside the top 1–4 in the division is going to give him any real rounds anyway. At that point, they might as well be title fights, not eliminators. Bakole must be desperate for a fight by now — he’s still technically aligned with BOXXER, but no one seems in any rush to get him out. And if Itauma doesn’t get either of them, then just stick Miller and Bakole in together. That’d be a proper war… unless they both turn up looking like Butterbean, but even then it’d still be entertaining — like a heavyweight sumo match.
Itauma (who comes across as a thicko) is delusional/low IQ based on his claim that he has "better skills and ring IQ" than Usyk. If he said "I'm half his age, bigger, faster, more powerful" that would at least be a credible argument. The skills/IQ claim suggests that he doesn't understand where his relative deficiencies lie, or what Usyk brings to the table. I don't think Sanchez is all that good so team Itauma's eliminator duck says a lot. Sanchez's only win of some note (UD10 over Ajagba) was 4 years ago, he's 33 (perhaps older) now. He isn't a big puncher, has never been past 10 rounds and was stopped inside 7 by Kabayel in May last year.
Franklin would be ideal. Bit of fight in him, not a huge puncher but lets his hands go and he's solid. Should give Ituma some rounds if nothing else and get him thinking.