WHAT do you do when, as a teenage heavyweight sensation, world-level opposition are rejecting calls to face you? Cast the net wider.
Moses Itauma is on a carefully planned path to world heavyweight title fights and headline nights, whether that be in London or Riyadh, though it’s all about staying level-headed and making the most of his apprenticeship.
As Daniel Dubois found out first-hand a few short years ago, there’s no hiding place once you reach the elite echelon of the sport’s glamour division.
Francis Warren named Saturday’s foe Demsey McKean as an option back in May while Itauma outlined his own five-man hitlist two months later featuring the Australian and a series of credible others.
Michigan’s Jermaine Franklin (23-2, 15 KOs) went the 12-round distance against both Dillian Whyte and Anthony Joshua five months apart but was among those unwilling to risk a damaging third career defeat against someone who hadn’t yet begun secondary school when he made his pro debut in 2015.
Former WBO super-featherweight world champion Barry Jones, now a pundit and commentator, covered Whyte’s return ringside in Gibraltar at the weekend as he overwhelmed Ebenezer Tetteh after seven gruelling rounds.
Underwhelmed and left wondering where this longtime heavyweight contender goes next, he floated the idea of someone like Itauma, Johnny Fisher or Moses’ gymmate Fabio Wardley as options.
Speaking after Tuesday’s grand arrivals, he told Boxing News: “Tetteh was picked to make Whyte look good, it was a good watch but the snap has gone out of his punches. He can’t worry about the division’s top-eight names and yeah, those [domestic guys], he’ll feel it’s a drop down but if it gets him to Riyadh… Dillian commits to every shot, making him vulnerable and exciting at the same time.”
Francis’ biggest fear surrounding Itauma is thrusting him into the fire too early, facing A-minus or B-plus level world contenders who might look to old-man him by sitting patiently behind their jab, reducing openings and stifling his work.
Jones acknowledges matchmaking for someone as gifted as the 19-year-old southpaw isn’t an easy task, so in McKean he finally has a worthy adversary with something to prove coming off a first defeat at world level no less.
“Matching Moses has to be an organic thing, when you have a precocious talent like him, you’ve got to be braver,” Jones said.
“He’s done everything right so far but this is his first real test against a guy close to world-class, did quite well against [Filip] Hrgovic until he got stopped.
“According to some of the sparring he’s done with others, they’ve had to slow him down because he tries to knock everyone’s head off! Moses is a special talent and we’re gonna find out about him, win or lose – defeat isn’t the end of the world – what he’s made of, what happens when things don’t go his way?
“Demsey’s a strong guy who punches straight and is rigid. That might be perfect, seeing as Itauma moves around the target beautifully, has angles of attack to slip and slide the way he does, like a Ukrainian. There might be times where he gets caught and has to struggle, but at some point he’ll get success.”
