Assuming Itauma is not packing unforeseen glass would you pick him to beat Hrgovic next?

Hrgovic would be a great test for Itauma.

Will be really interesting to see how Itauma deals with someone rangy and tough with a good jab and one two.

 

It will also be interesting to see how Itauma performs after the 4th round. Hes pretty athletic for a guy his size, and he uses that athleticism quite a bit, so its reasonable to question if hes actually able to sustain it for 10 or 12 rounds.

 

Absolutely. We do know Itauma is a very dangerous two round fighter but so have many other complete hype jobs too.

 

Exactly.

If Itauma is packing glass then Hrgovic would stop him, even with only middling power.

But this thread is assuming he isn't, and Hrgovic doesn't have massive power either... Surviving Hrgovic doesn't mean granite, it just means not glass.

As you say, it all depends on stamina then - Hrgovic is limited, and should haemorrhage rounds later on against contenders who aren't terrible on points... But if Itauma hasn't got the stamina (which, as yet, is unproven) to beat Hrgovic on points, then he's going to be be relying on stoppages against basically every opponent.

 

I find it hard to argue against itauma being overrated, because he has done nothing and fought no one of note.
But the thing I see in him that is different from other young heavyweights that have come through or been hyped up, is that he is always in a position to accurately connect with his shots and he seems to be able get his range bang on to generate the maximum power and he does it without planting his feet or at least remaining light enough to balance his centre of gravity while maintaining momentum in his punches. His accuracy lets him connect his shots so that they snap off rather than following through with them, which makes the maximum impact on or in the target.
The one thing that he does definitely have that is something that you only see in elite fighters is the composure, he has that unflinching focus that only the top fighters have.
He has an unbeaten amateur record but it’s short, the danger could be that he has never faced any adversity.

 

That cut is always going to be an issue now, and I can see him opening Hrgovic up and getting the stoppage that way.

According to Gassiev's camp, Itauma don't want the smoke. The WBA put Moses in as #1 so it could happen, Gassiev has openly called for it, and according to Murat's people there has been total phone silence.

 

if Ituama doesn’t have stamina but has a decent (yet not great) chin, Hrgovic might stop him. If you look at Hrgovic’s punch stats against Adeleye, especially power shots landed, that’s gong to overwhelm and stop a guy who is dead tired.

it really would be the perfect fight for Ituama. If he blasts out Hrgovic quickly, it means he’s the biggest puncher in the division. If he wins on the cards, it means his chin is decent, his stamina is decent, and he can handle a guy who can box.

if he’s packing glass, Hrgovic will knock him out. If he’s got no stamina, Hrgovic will stop him.

which is why the fight won’t happen. Way too high a risk for the reward. Hrgovic has said he’s willing to do it, but he wants a big payday (rightfully so) because if Ituama is the real thing, Hrgovic is going to take a hellacious beating.