Dillian Whyte’s trainer, Buddy McGirt, says they’re going to drag Moses Itauma “out to sea” on Saturday night in their 12-round heavyweight contest in Riyadh. McGirt wants to get the knockout artist Itauma (12-0, 10 KOs) into the later rounds to test his stamina.
Itauma is most dangerous in the first two rounds, but loses power on his shots once it goes past three. When he’s forced to move his flabby 240+ lb frame around, it drains him, and he’s less of a threat than he is in the first two rounds. The leaner and better conditioned Whyte (31-3, 21 KOs) is going to take advantage of that.
Whyte’s “Out to Sea” Strategy
“We’ve got to take him out to sea. We can’t come out and try to gun him out early. That wouldn’t make any sense. We’ve got to take him out to sea. We’ve got to get him out there in the middle of the ocean,” said trainer Buddy McGirt to Pro Boxing Fans about what Dillian Whyte must do for him to defeat Moses Itauma.
Buddy has got the right idea. Itauma has knocked out all 10 of his opponents within two rounds during his two-year professional career. The only fighters that made it beyond two rounds were journeymen Kevin Nicolas Espindola and Kostiantyn Dovbyshchenko. So, for Whyte to have a chance of winning, he’s got to box Itauma early, drag him into the second half, and then go after his chin.
As an amateur, Itauma looked terrified when he was attacked relentlessly by a fighter from Greece. In the third round, Moses was under the gun, getting hit, and looked exhausted. Even back then, he was chubby-looking and not looking good, having to move the weight around the ring.
“Experience is definitely going to play a part in this fight. The longer it goes, the more experience is going to kick in. The key is to stay focused, maintain, and not get out of pocket or out of character. Just focus on what you got to do and need to do to win the fight,” said Buddy about what Dillian should do to be victorious against Itauma.
Fatigue Will Defeat Itauma
McGirt has taken notice of how dangerous Itauma is in the early rounds. So, the best method for Whyte to counteract that is not to trade with him early, drag him into the second half, and take advantage of his lack of experience in fights that go late.
Itauma’s less-than-trim physique is a signal that he could be vulnerable in fights that go into the later rounds. Also, a weak chin could run in the family. Moses’ brother, Karol Itauma, fell apart in his fight against journeyman Ezequiel Osvaldo Maderna when he took some big shots in the fifth. Karol is the same big puncher type as Moses Itauma, but he crumbled when he got hit back in the fifth round by Maderna.
McGirt says he hasn’t studied Itauma, but he knows enough to realize that he’ll be vulnerable if you take him out of the early rounds. You could tell from Itauma’s pudgy body that he likes to eat, because you don’t look like that unless you enjoy eating the wrong foods. Those types of fighters tend to gas out in the later rounds.
What’s unusual is to see a 20-year-old already carrying around fat this early. Moses doesn’t look his age. He has the appearance of a 28-year-old, and that’s not a good thing for him going up against a veteran like Whyte.
That’s a combination of early aging, poor diet, and a lack of hard work in the cardio department for Itauma. At 37, Whyte looks in better physical condition and more youthful than Itauma. What does that tell you? Did Itauma train hard enough for this fight, or is it his diet? Something is off about how he looks after what he claims is a 16-week camp.
