Were the Tyson comparisons justified?

Only so far as his promise at such a young age and his athletics gifts and knockouts

They don't really fight anything alike or have similar builds

 

Not at all.

Tyson had 28 fights in under 2 years going 10 rounds 3 times whilst winning a belt.

Tyson had atleast been extended the distance and had been tested by the likes of James Tillis, Mitch Green, Jose Ribalta, before fighting for a world title.

Itauma realistically hasn't fought 1 live body prior to Hrgovic apart from maybe Franklin who's a borderline top 20 Heavyweight I guess.

And he's never gone past 6 rounds either.

There will never be a young Heavyweight as active or as stand out as Tyson it's different times and Heavyweights IMO are too big now.

Tyson had so many attributes that were better than Itauma.

More athletic, better combination puncher, faster, harder pucher, better defence, better footwork.

 

I think so. The kid was KOing some very decent fighters for fun. I think his career just hasn’t been managed well. He probably needed another few fights at around Franklin level and learned how to go 10-12 rounds with a less dangerous opponent.
He’s now hopefully learned that lesson the hard way. Time to hit the gym and work on that cardio and 12 round sparring

 

They weren't. Tyson was a different calibre of athlete. The talent pool before the 2000s was deep.

Knocking out fellow zoomers in the gym doesn't = the next Tyson.

Also Tyson started boxing at like 14-15. Hasn't Moses been doing this since childhood? Way different natural talent level.

 

You seriously ask this question like today's result hasn't removed all doubt?


Yae yae yae

 

I think the main comparison was if he could beat Tyson record as the youngest heavyweight champ. With the low number of fights that he was fighting and the timespan between fights it was always unlikely but theoretically, if I have the timeline correct, he could have been matched up with Daniel Dubios when Dubios was upgraded to champion by the IBF around the middle of 2024. Itauma wasn’t in their top 10 at that time but with Frank Warren in control of both fighters, it’s not inconceivable that Warren could have pulled some strings with the IBF (paid them off) and made the Dubios/ Itauma matchup in early 2025 and Itauma would have beaten Tyson’s record if he was successful against Dubois though certainly not a given.

 

On a surface level, sure. Speed, power, youth, early knockouts. Digger deeper, no. Tyson came from some of the worst conditions, stayed super active, trained like his life depended on it (because it did), dedicated himself like a monk under an ATG trainer, and had more refined skills, technique, defensive ability, etc. And a much better chin and the ability to go 12 rounds. There will never be another Mike Tyson. He was once in a lifetime.

 

Absolutely. Tyson = talented at a young age with an unprecedented combination of aggression, technical ability, hand speed and punching power. Itauma = talented at a young age with an unprecedented combination aggression, technical ability, hand speed and punching power. We've not seen a heavyweight or Cruiserweight with the combination of those traits in excess since Tyson and until Moses.

The fact he's not as good as Tyson was at this point doesn't make those comparisons unwarranted.

This is especially true if he goes onto do a Louis / Klitschko and go undefeated for a years after this loss embarrassing upset loss lol. Time will tell.

 

No, not justified at all.

Young Tyson was a superiorly-schooled fighter who was more than just a puncher. His defense and footwork were also excellent and he had a fluidity that Itauma will never have.

I'd compare Itauma to guys like Wilder or DuBois. That caliber of talent looks invincible at a certain level but once you put them in with someone who can take a punch all of the flaws come out.

When Tyson wasn't able to take out opponents like Tillis, Green or Bonecrusher, he still had the skill and stamina to beat them with his boxing.

Itauma seems like a decent guy but he was never going to be the next Tyson.

 

Ahahahahahahahahahahahahha.

 

In the narrow context of prodigy's reaching the title level yes. In the larger one of what happens next no.

Right now top HW's who are under 30 are super rare. Much less 25. What Moses did was rare. But it didn't make him the "chosen one" or the "heir apparent".

We really to separate developing faster from being better. Being a prodigy really just means someone is better at learning it doesn't mean they are better at the thing they are learning. The prodigy can still end up being better but those are two different comparisons that aren't related.

 

He is just the latest 'new Mike Tyson' to fail to live up to the hype, I remember Porter was starting to be called mini Mike Tyson before Brook took his belt off him and Nick Ball even was being called mini Mike Tyson and got knocked out by that guy. Just leave Iron Mike's mysticism around his own legend and let fighters make their own stories. He is a mythical fighter for a reason, there will never be another fighter like that.

 

I made a thread on this, TL;DR IMO Tyson's loss to Buster Douglas is more humiliating than Itauma's loss to Hrgovic. Tyson was far more experienced at that point and Buster Douglas is a level below Hrgovic.

The hate the kid gets for losing a decent fight so young is incredible, I guess we can partially blame the overblown Itauma hype and underestimation of Hrgovic.

 

Yeah I actually think Itauma would have a decent chance against Dubois. Dubois seems to struggle with southpaw power (Lerena, Usyk) and is chinny and Itauma definitely has the speed advantage. But if it goes to late rounds Dubois drowns Itauma the same as Hrgovic did. All would depend on Dubois' chin.