Moses Itauma vs Dillian Whyte - Aug. 16th

A few years ago I would have agreed with you. Whyte doesn't have the gas tank for that anymore and even at his best he only ran on a few cylinders. Whyte's best chance to win will be in the early rounds I think but it's still safe to say he is a walking target with name value for Itauma.

 

I personally think Kabayel is being positioned for a title shot against the winner of Usyk v Dubois.

 

It just depends... We don't really know how Itauma's own gas tank is, yet, since he's usually done within two rounds.

There's also no question that Whyte was levels better than anyone Itauma has fought yet has ever been... Also no question that if Whyte was prime this wouldn't be getting made.

If Whyte's had a good enough camp to come in fairly decent shape, he could still be dangerous.

I suspect Itauma should win at this moment in time, but I also won't be as shocked as (I think) most on here would be if Dillian wins here... Surprised, but not zomgz shocked.

 

His team can try... And he's not that far away.

If Usyk wins, Parker probably makes more sense for legacy right now - but there's not too many more great fights for him to make, and Kabayel is among the best of the rest.

 

Last fight, he was breathing real heavy in the corner after the first round. That was concerning. He's so twitchy, maybe he's not at all relaxed in there. That leads to getting gas quickly.

 

Maybe, it's hard to tell... Stepping up will reveal all, one way or the other - he's exciting, but so many fighters have been in the past too... We'll see whether he goes all the way or not!

 

Big step up for Itauma if he neutralizes Whyte. Whyte is on the Way out; i cant see him making easy work of Itauma. I Dont think he can hurt him as Well.

 

Itauma fights like a pissed off eight year old. He will get ktfo badly when he faces a live body.

 

He is really good, though. So I expect him to adjust his approach when fighting against the level of opposition that is actually dangerous to him. I just wonder wether his defense holds under pressure and if a mean trap catches him off guard. I wish him the best of luck and skills!

 

This reads as blind faith, with respect.

He is really good, even though he hasn't fought the kind of opponents that provide proof of that.

But because he's really good, even though he hasn't proven it, we just know he'll adjust and overcome better guys.


It's fine to see talent and take an interest...
I just don't understand why people have to jump full in on guys as if they've already made it - some extremely well regarded prospects just don't make it, he wouldn't be the first or the last if it turned out he's lacking something to make it to the top.

I hope he does well, the more guys start pushing forwards and getting to the top the more exciting the next era will be... But I'm happy to wait and see.

 

Hm, I don't actually mean it like blind faith I think. I have open questions as to his defense and wonder wether it holds up under pressure. I saw warning signs in his last fight regarding that.

Still I think it is reasonable to expect Itauma to have a different kind of respect for dillian whyte and stronger opponents going forward. And I think even though he is knocking his opponents out with an aggressive style and immense hand and footspeed I hope he knows that his power is not the reason, but his speed and technique is.

That is why I expect him sooner or later to switch to a boxing style, trying to outbox his opponents and only try to knock them out in the later rounds if the opportunity presents itself. That's what I meant by 'I expect him to adjust' - not necessarily that it will always be successful. It was more an answer to the 'fights like a pissed off eight year old'.

Right now I see Itauma as a great talent, super quick with feet, hands and mind, great technique and reflexes, fights going forward and backward and he takes risks making him exciting to watch. So as you said I am hoping for the best and that he makes it to the stage where kabayel, parker and dubois are right now. I don't expect him to become the next Usyk.

But to illustrate why people (and I) are high on Itauma I think one only has to compare him to Richard Torrez (not to put Torrez down!!) and other current prospects (recently people even hyped jared anderson...). And Itauma is younger. To me he is the best prospect I see right now in hw.

And a personal preference: his style of boxing is just fluid and aesthetic. The opposite of robotic or lumbering. Which is definitely not a given in that division...

 

Any chance that Whyte gets back on the good stuff and comes in juiced out of his mind? Might make it a bit more of an interesting fight, he hasn't been the same since he's had to cut back on the gear.

Also just to give some perspective, most of the current guys looked just as good as Itauma in their first dozen fights, Joshua looked arguably better for example. But even Whyte himself looked very dangerous even after coming from a kickboxing background.

Itauma is clearly talented, but he has also been hyped to the moon and back so lets not get too ahead of ourselves.

 

I've been calling for this fight for over a year. I wouldn't be surprised if Moses starches him in the first and the world goes "....well....****..."

 

This is my feeling too, but if he does turn up itumas precision shots will find a home on Whytes jaw and I think we will see a knockout to rival the one where povetkin folded him like a deck chair. I don’t see Whyte turning up for this fight, it’s going to put an end to his career and even be that damaging that he won’t even be able to do a podcast or pundit, it will nail his coffin shut