Moses Itauma is bent out of shape, annoyed with his opponent, Dillian Whyte’s trainer, James ‘Buddy’ McGirt, saying he hadn’t studied him ahead of Saturday’s main event heavyweight clash in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Itauma (12-0, 10 KOs) suggests that the former two-division world champion McGirt has a cavalier attitude about the need to study his fighting style to help prepare Whyte (31-3, 24 KOs) because he’s not the one inside the ring taking the punches.
Itauma’s Uncomplicated Game
Perhaps the true reason why Buddy McGirt hasn’t bothered to study Moses Itauma’s fighting style is that it’s an uncomplicated one that is simple to understand. Unlike how the highly technical McGirt fought during his career, Itauma is a basic potshot fighter who employs the three-foot step back that defensive fighters like Shakur Stevenson and Richardson Hitchins employ.
Buddy McGirt was a genius inside the ring during his career, always changing his style to fit his opponent. He’s obviously seen enough of Itauma’s fights to know he has a fundamental style and is one-dimensional, getting by on his power, hand speed, and the weak lower-level opposition his management has shoveled into the ring as his opponents.
Moses Itauma’s Manufactured Image
There’s little to no variation in Itauma’s game. He does the same thing every time, and it works due to the weak opposition he’s fought at the professional and amateur levels. He hasn’t had to learn different stuff because his management never put him against the higher-level fighters for whatever reason. As such, you can say that Itauma is another one of the manufactured fighters that we see today, marketed to look like gold and matched against scrubs.
Itauma Lacks Self-Awareness
“Buddy McGirt, when he was fighting, did he study fighters? Imagine he probably did. So why is it now that you’re coaching somebody and you won’t study them,” said Moses Itauma to the Ring Magazine YouTube channel about Dillian Whyte’s trainer, saying he hasn’t studied him.
“It’s because there’s no, I don’t want to say accountability, but it’s like he’s not there in the ring taking the punches. So, he’s going to be okay with not studying the fighters because there’s no urgency from his side. He’s not taking the damage,” Itauma continued about McGirt. “Yeah,” said Moses when asked if he believes that Buddy isn’t studying him.
