Criticism of Itauma Is Fascinating

Itauma has the chance to pack the doubters in if he smokes Hrgovic. All of them are banking on Hrgovic to expose moses.

If he exceeds expectations and KOs Hrgovic within 5 rounds, that would be insane. Hopefully he isn't a hypejob, this is the real test. We need some new heavyweights on the scene. Im tired of Fury, Joshua, and Usyk

 

Tall poppy syndrome, plus he is being managed too safely which gives the illusion that he is not as good as he actually is. I have seen some talented heavies, but none that box and move like a small man as he does. He sure doesn't hit like one though, the power he delivers at blinding speed is lethal.

The only option is to land a lucky knockout on him early before he takes the will to fight with vicious body attacks and counter punching. Even without the benefit of rose coloured blinkers It is hard not to get on board the hype train, he is the real deal and if he develops as expected he should rule the division until retirement.

 

Well said. As a sport, we need a heavyweight at the top who has something special about them. It's imperative for its health. Not to demonish Wlad, or his ATG standing, or his legacy, but his HW dominance was not coupled with excitement. It hurt the sport in the US and UK markets. Same with Mayweather. Aside from purists and those with a real love or a nationalistic element, if a boxer is not phenomenal and exciting to watch, either inside or outside the ring, it becomes a hard sell to a mass audience.

Very few have all three of these factors; Itauma is not exciting outside the ring, but he has the other two for me, and usually two of these three components will do it, especially at heavyweight. The only combat spot athlete I can think of who combined these 3 so far this century is Conor McGregor, and look how electric he was in the mid to late 2010s.

Half a dozen or so of my friends in the UK who have a passing interest in the sport are only really interested in Itauma at the moment; I could sit around and talk about Benavidez, Inoue, or Boots for half an hour, but for the future of boxing, and as it struggles to compete against the MMA model, a 21 year old heavyweight like Moses is exactly what we need. Why anyone would actively want him to fail is beyond me.

 

You're basically answering your own question here. The hyperbole around Itauma is getting unreal. He's now the next Joe Louis? He looks good but jesus the kid has never even beaten anyone who's top 30 and now he's the greatest boxer in history? When someone gets hyped like crazy it's just natural to want to see them lose. It happens with most highly marketed prospects, and he's been marketed more than most.

 

It's simple enough - there are a couple of major questions that haven't been answered yet... And if the answers are wrong, it might expose major issues.

What's right is really right - he's quick and he's got genuine power.

But...
1) His best win is still a very average journeyman - will he still be able to perform anywhere near as impressively against serious opponents?

2) His chin hasn't been tested - it's as guaranteed that it's iron as it is that it's glass... Ie. Not at all.
If he turns out to have an okay+ chin (Joshua level) then that shouldn't hold him back - if he's packing Pricey porcelain, it's "uhoh" time.

3) His stamina has looked questionable at times, against guys who shouldn't really be testing it... Does he have the ability to improve it? Or can he stop decent guys fast enough that it doesn't matter?
If that's yes and/or yes, he can still be serious business and mix it at the top (but he'll get beaten at some point).


The problem is the true believers can't hear sensible and balanced analysis like this - it's either full acceptance that he's going to be dominant or "haters"... And some of the hyperbole is way into overdrive.

I don't see too many who are convinced he's not making it - I see some frustration at how slowly he's being pushed (with and without understanding why) and I see people withholding judgement until there's a bit more evidence... None of this is hatred or denial.


The Hrgovic fight could tell us plenty - Hrgovic is a rock solid gatekeeper and has an awesome chin, medium power (at most) and dodgy stamina... How Moses measures up should tell us a lot more about him.

 

The kid comes across as a gronk we don’t have to like him.

 

Fair points, but wasn't Franklin supposed to be the endurance test until he kissed the canvas?

Granted Itauma looked tired, but he set a very high pace as well.

 

Its simply because all the great heavyweights of all time outside of Usyk have lost and been exposed to some extent. What we are really trying to find out is how bad are his flaws. I already noticed his cardio isn't anything great, by rd 4 or 5 in some of his fights his movement and feints slow down a lot. His punch selection/speed/precision is already some of the best in the heavyweight division, which cover him but if he starts getting hurt and damaged does his cardio go out the window even more? Only time will tell.

 

I barely see anyone talk about Itauma. Once this guy fights someone with a pulse maybe he ll get haters

 

He's universally seen as the top heavyweight prospect. Many of us just aren't willing to rank him as a top contender or crown him as "the next big thing" because he's done absolutely nothing to warrant either one. He's earning his spot now though with his upcoming opponents, so we will see!