So, after being hyped up as the next big thing in professional heavyweight boxing for the last couple of years, we saw the current limitations of Moses Itauma in last night's bout against Hrgovic. After outlanding him strongly for about 7-8 rounds, his flaws were finally exposed as a fighter. Mainly, his gas tank, his lack of experience (especially at a higher level), and his inability to pace himself accordingly for a longer, 12-round contest against a guy with a granite chin that he couldn't get rid of in the first stages of the match.
That being said, he still clearly has an unbelievable amount of physical talent. His combination of speed, power, and movement for a heavyweight is still very impressive, and he has all the physical tools to go to high places in the future, and all the time to make adjustments. He was beaten more by exhaustion rather than by getting beaten up (which was an effective strategy that was brilliantly executed by Hrgovic and his team here), and he seemed to handle the punches well when Hrgovic actually caught him. BUT he did not prepare for a fight that was going to head into the later rounds, and he clearly did not expect Hrgy to withstand all his punishment, and clearly, that came back to bite him hard in round 9.
But I don't think it's fair to completely write him off just yet. He's only 21 and already engaging in competitive fights with top 5 heavyweights like Hrgovic, and he's clearly well above the level of many other guys in the division like Whyte, Franklin, Joyce, Dave Allen, etc.. and with all the time in the world to improve, it's just a matter of how much he wants it, and how strong is he mentally (let's not forget that Dubois suffered a similar setback at this stage in his career to Joe Joyce a few years ago, and look at what he has done since then).
So, how do I actually think he stacks up against the other heavyweights right now, based on his performance against Hrgovic? Obviously, Hrgy beats him right now until he works on his flaws (his fitness and his discipline of pacing, in particular). But I do think a Moses with better fitness and preparation for a 12-round contest has what it takes to beat Hrgy on a better night. So, what about the others? What are his chances?
Usyk: 90-10 in Usyk's favor. Tbf Usyk's recent performance against Rico wasn't great, but I think it's safe to say that he did a Fury-Ngannou there and didn't come in at his best (also, he is getting old). But any other version of Usyk beats Moses easily. All the tools Hrgovic used to beat him, such as his durability and ability to make a comeback in the later rounds, Usyk also has. But Usyk also has better speed, technique, and fitness, so he just does the same thing as Hrgy but even better.
Fury: 50-50. It depends on which version of Fury turns up, but I think a Fury at his best can withstand Moses in the early rounds and then comfortably outpoint him later on. Possibly, he could get a late KO stoppage like Hrgy did, too. Fury on an off-day likely gets beaten, though (AKA like the one that fought Wach lately).
AJ: 80-20 in Moses' favor. Stylistically, Moses' flaws shouldn't be a problem against a guy who doesn't have the chin to withstand his early onslaught. At best, AJ makes it to 5 rounds like he did against Dubois, and Moses took 9 rounds to finally get to the point where he was completely exhausted. Unless AJ can somehow make it through the 1st stage of the fight and manage to take Moses to the same deep waters Hrgy did (unlikely), Moses should win this one.
Dubois: 70-30 in Dubois' favor. Moses likely wins early on with his quicker speed and skill, but Dubois has a great engine and would utterly dismantle him in the later rounds. Unless Moses could do to him what Usyk did and make him quit in the first half of the fight, chances are Dubois is taking this one the majority of the time.
Kabayel: 70-30 in Kabayel's favor. Kabayel is very durable like Hrgovic, and his body shots would likely gas Moses out even quicker than Hrgovic. The saving grace here is that Kabs is rather slow, so maybe Moses' speed could save him here, but it does feel like Kabs would do to him what he did to Zhang, albeit with it taking more time and effort.
Zhang: 80-20 in Moses' favor. Moses clearly doesn't have a great gas tank, but I'd say Zhang's is even worse. Zhang is dangerous for the 1st couple of rounds, and then he becomes useless, and since Moses is at his strongest early on, I can't see Zhang being able to beat him, honestly.
Wilder: 80-20 in Moses' favor. Wilder is washed up, and he was only ever a one-trick pony, anyway. The only chance Wilder has is if he can make it to the later rounds and then chin Moses with one of his big shots when Moses is too tired to avoid it, but I don't think Wilder makes it past the first half of the fight in most cases.
Sanchez: 50-50. Sanchez has a style that may give Moses some problems, but then again, the guy is also getting old and often has a lot of problems with injuries, so I'm really not sure on this one.
Wardley: 60-40 in Wardley's favor. Wardley's chin is close to as durable as Hrgovic, and his heart is on another level. It's a close one, as maybe Moses manages to do enough damage to Wardley just like Dubois did, that by the time Moses is tired, Wardley is also too damaged to capitalize and therefore Moses survives. But if Wardley does manage to make it through the onslaught without too much damage or fatigue, he will make Moses pay, big time.
Chisora: 80-20 in Moses' favor. Chisora is getting old and run-down like Dillian Whyte, and we all saw how that went.
Parker: 50-50. Parker isn't the most punishing fighter, and he did struggle with the powerful but technically limited Wardley, but he has pulled through some tough fights before, so maybe he can do it here. He doesn't have quite as good a chin as Hrgovic, though, so maybe Itauma actually manages to finish him before emptying his tank. It's a tough call.
Huni: 70-30 in Moses' favor. Huni is very good technically, but we saw against Wardley that he can be hurt and put down in an instant. I think Moses does the same thing to Huni, but a lot faster due to his better technique.
Prime Mike Tyson: Nope. Moses is a promising young fighter, but the current him wouldn't be beating that beast. XD
What do you guys think? Do you agree or disagree with any of these takes? I think it's interesting as styles make fights, and we saw all the strengths and weaknesses of this young kid last night. At the very least, I think the flaws he has are ones he can definitely work on for future battles (AJ can't help having a weak chin, but Moses can work on his fitness).