Dave Allen believes that Moses Itauma hasn’t done anything to prove that he’s not a hype job. He says that he’s got to do more than beat Dillian Whyte to show he’s legit, because that fight wouldn’t be happening if Dillian had anything left.
Is Itauma a Hype Job?
It’s more “matchmaking” being done to make Itauma (12-0, 10 KOs) look like a diamond. Make him look great by feeding him aging journeymen one after another. With the awful opposition that Itauma had fought as a pro, any heavyweight could be made to look great.
“I think he could, but we haven’t really seen him get hit back, he hasn’t been pushed hard, and hasn’t gone the rounds. He hasn’t boxed anyone above domestic level,” said Dave Allen to DAZN Boxing when asked if he believes the 20-year-old Moses Itauma can win a heavyweight world title this early in his career.
Why Itauma’s Foes Are Weak
Allen is right. Itauma’s opposition has been woefully poor since he turned pro in 2023. Look at the mediocre list of fighters he’s beaten in his last six fights:
- Mike Balogun: 41 years old
- Demsey McKean: *Coming off a KO loss to Filip Hrgovic
- Mariusz Wach: 45
- Ilja Mezencev
- Dan Garber: 6-2 record
- Michal Boloz: 5-6-2
Come on, it doesn’t take a genius to see that it’s all smoke and mirrors with Moses Itauma. He’s being marketed to appear as the best, thanks to the calculated matchmaking that’s been done. To see Itauma’s actual limitations, one needs to go back to his amateur days to see him fighting better opposition. He looked very average in some of his fights.
“It’s a guessing game. He’s got a lot of talent, but there are more questions than answers, I think. He’s definitely top level,” said Allen about Itauma. “He’s never been hit. He could be the real deal. Dillian Whyte has had three fights in three years. He hasn’t boxed anyone. That’s matchmaking. I’m not sure what Dillian has got left. Frank Warren is guessing Dillian Whyte has nothing left. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be boxing him.”
Matchmaking and “Phony Hype”
Allen makes a good point. Itauma wouldn’t be matched against Whyte if he were still fighting at the top of his game. A prime version of ‘The Body Snatcher’, Whyte would be a disaster for the phony hype about Itauma. He’d put a spotlight on him to show that he’s not what the naive public thinks. It’s just matchmaking being done just like we’ve seen with other fighters. It’s become the norm for boxers to be made to look better than they are through maneuvering.
“A legit top 10, active,’ said Allen when asked who Moses Itauma needs to fight to show he’s for real. “Lawrence Okolie, Fabio Wardley,” said Dave about who Moses needs to beat.
Itauma Needs a Legit Opponent
You’ve got to do better than Okolie and Wardley to show that Itauma is the real deal. Those two are weak and flawed. To show that Itauma is legitimate, he needs to fight these heavyweights:
- Lenier Pero
- Agit Kabayel
- Joseph Parker
- Richard Torrez Jr.
- Bakhodir Jalalov