By Scott Gilfoid: Heavyweight prospect Nathan Gorman (12-0, 10 KOs) bludgeoned the much lighter 205-pound Morgan Dessaux (4-2, 4 KOs) into submission in stopping him in the 2nd round on the Anthony Yarde vs. Tony Averlant card last Saturday night at the York Hall in Bethnal Green, in London, England.
The 21-year-old Gorman hurt Dessaux with a left hook to the head in round 2. Gorman then unloaded with a flurry of shots on Dessaux, causing the referee Steve Gray to step in and stop the contest. The official time of the stoppage was at 1:08.
In round 1, Gorman knocked Dessaux down with a left to the head. Dessaux was getting literally pummeled in the opening round. With his 48 lb. weight advantage, the 253 lb. Gorman had nothing to fear from the much lighter Dessaux. That’s not to say that Dessaux didn’t have his moments in the round. On two occasions in the round, Dessaux landed 5-punch flurry of head shots that the slower Gorman was forced to eat. Gorman was able to take the shots, because he was facing a cruiserweight-sized fighter, but against a larger heavyweight with power, I have some doubts whether he’ll be able to take getting hit 4 to 5 times in a row the way Dessaux was nailing him.
In round 2, Gorman nailed Dessaux nonstop heavy punches to the head and body. Gorman was unloading on Dessaux and not even thinking about his defense. At one point, Dessaux tagged Gorman with a left to the head that froze him momentarily. Gorman wasn’t expecting to be hit by Dessaux, and it took him by surprise. Gorman continued to blast away at Dessaux with a storm of shots until the referee Steve Gray stepped in and stopped the slaughter.
The size difference between the 2 heavyweights was always going to be a problem for the 35-year-old Dessaux, considering he was just too light for him to be competitive with the 253 lb. Gorman. The 6’4” Dessaux weighed in at 205 lbs. last Friday. It’s unclear why Dessaux doesn’t fight at cruiserweight, because that would be the more logical division for him to be fighting in. Cruiserweights weigh-in at the 200 lb. limit, and they then typically rehydrate to 220. At 205 lbs., Dessaux would be light even for cruiserweight standards. Why he chooses to fight at heavyweight is completely baffling. Dessaux probably should be fighting at light heavyweight, because he could drain down to 175 to make weight and then rehydrate to 200 lbs. and have an advantage over his opposition.
The positives from Gorman’s performance were his punching power, and his high work rate. For a 21-year-old, Gorman has excellent punching power. He has heavy hands, and a work rate that reminds one of Jarrell ‘Big Baby’ Miller. Gorman’s punching power and nonstop attacking style would make him a threat to a lot of heavyweights in the top tier. However, his defensive ability is what makes it unlikely that he’ll go far in the heavyweight division. Gorman is so easy to hit, and he gets hit with combinations. Dessaux was hitting him 4 to 5 times in a row within seconds. Gorman would be mincemeat if he was nailed by that many shots from a big heavyweight. Further, Gorman is only 6’3”, and he would be facing some big heavyweights like 6’7” Deontay Wilder and 6’6” Anthony Joshua. Those guys will be too big and strong for Gorman. The type of heavyweights Gorman will trouble are the fringe level guys like Dereck Chisora, Dillian Whyte, Charles Martin, Lucas Browne, Bermane Stiverne, Bryant Jennings and Hughie Fury. Gorman reminds me a lot of contender Adam Kownacki, but he’s not as big as him. I’d like to see Gorman and Kownacki mix it up. That would be a great fight.