Everybody knew that Moses Itauma was too young and too fast for Mariusz Wach. On Saturday night, the 19-year-old heavyweight proved that he was also just too clever, too powerful and too technically good for the 44-year-old Polish veteran.
Itauma’s timing and distance were perfect from the opening seconds of the fight and when he dropped Wach in the second round, his follow up attack was calm, accurate and decisive. Itauma was aggressive but defensively aware, mixing head movement into his combinations and immediately recognising that the moment was right to run through the gears. Wach, 38-11 (20 KOs), was helpless.
“I swear down, I went back to my corner and said to Ben [Davison, his coach], ‘I think I started a bit too fast.’ he said, ‘Yeah, you did, mate, but go into the second round, pick your shots better and slow the tempo a bit.’” Itauma told Queensberry in his dressing room after the fight.
“I did that, I hurt him and thought, ‘Oh shit, this is what boxing is about.’ It’s not the tempo. It’s about quality not quantity.”
Itauma looks more and more at home in the ring and increasingly comfortable with the attention and expectation he is attracting. Rather than being bowed by the pressure, Itauma is growing into his role as a future star.
“I’m starting to soak up boxing a lot more,” he said. “When I first turned over, I felt like I had to do it. Now I really do wanna do it. Me and Ben have countless discussions. He’s like, ‘You must love it. You must love it’ and deep down I do feel like deep down I do kind of like it.
“Even just walking out and seeing all the crowd cheering me on, I am really appreciative and obviously with the team we have I feel like we’ve got a solid team and a solid foundation. The sky’s the limit.”
The search for an opponent capable of extending Itauma will now recommence but rather than finding a victim willing and able to accept round after round of punishment for pay, the time is right for the young prodigy to fight somebody who will enter the ring with the intention of extending him competitively rather than just physically.
Johnny Fisher has begun to emerge as a solid young contender but even in this current era of promotional co-operation, we can categorically rule out a clash between Itauma and the Matchroom prospect and, despite Frank Warren’s post-fight declaration that he would love to match Itauma with Frazer Clarke, the Olympic bronze medallist still seems to be embroiled in his rivalry with British champion, Fabio Wardley. The two fought to an exciting draw in March and the British Boxing Board of Control recently put a rematch out to purse bids.
Unbeaten English champion, Solomon Dacres, 9-0 (3 KOs), recently defended his English title against Michael Webster and the 30-year-old was an accomplished amateur who boxed for Team GB and fought in the high caliber World Series of Boxing. Despite some impressive raw materials, Dacres has yet to impress as a professional. He has been linked to a breakthrough fight with David Adeleye for months but has yet to share the ring with the brash Londoner, who withdrew from a recent fight date with an elbow injury. Dacres would bring ambition and determination and looks like the type of fighter who needs a dangerous challenge to bring the best out of him.
Matchmakers scour the world looking for robust heavyweights but one of the most durable lives right here in England. A fight with Hughie Fury, 28-3 (16 KOs), would kill a few birds with one stone. Fury is still young enough to fight with plenty of enthusiasm. He has shared the ring with a series of world class opponents and has only been beaten – over 12 – by Joseph Parker, Kubrat Pulev and Alexander Povetkin. Fury is riding a five-fight win streak but they have been spread over four-and-a-half years as the 29-year-old has battled illness outside of the ring. It may not be pretty but the effective Fury has the skills and chin to take Itauma rounds and also brings that famous surname to the table.
A fight with America’s Jermaine Franklin, 23-2 (15 KOs), would be a bold, ambitious step but if Itauma genuinely does want to trouble Mike Tyson’s record and become the youngest heavyweight champion of all-time, he will need to take a risk or two to reach contention. The 30 year-old Franklin lost back-to-back decisions to Dillian Whyte and Anthony Joshua but performed well and is a solid contender. Whereas Itauma would need to track down Dacres and Fury, he wouldn’t need to go looking for Franklin who tries to roll forward. Any kind of win would be good for Itauma but given the way that accomplished, experienced fighters like Whyte and Joshua struggled to nail him down, a convincing win would be a real statement.
Itauma is at the stage of his career where expectation and excitement will be high whoever he fights.
“Put me in with King Kong,” he said, when asked how is going to get rounds. “Steps up, innit. We’ll go back to the team and think of something.”
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