In the opinion of two fellow British heavyweights, Moses Itauma will not get the big test he needs, he will not get the rounds he needs, in his upcoming August 16 fight with veteran warrior Dillian Whyte. Some people do see this fight as a pretty good step up for 20 year old Itauma, 12-0(10), this because Whyte has been in with so many big names, because he has been around for a good amount of time, and because he can still punch.
But Lawrence Okolie, who wanted to fight Whyte himself (and may well still do so, who knows), and Dave Allen, who was stopped by Whyte a few years back, both see a quick stoppage win for the red-hot southpaw who many see as a future world champion.
Okolie, speaking with The Stomping Ground, had the following to say:
“Moses is on a great run, a good trajectory,” Okolie said. “So when they do fight, I think Moses will KO him in quick fashion, so yeah, good luck to him.”
Okolie, who doesn’t like Whyte, never extended any good luck wishes Dillian’s way. But as for his prediction, maybe “The Sauce” is right and Itauma will indeed score another quick and impressive KO in the August fight.
One man who fully agrees with Okolie is Allen, who is in a good run himself now, what with him coming off that KO win over Johnny Fisher. Allen, who spoke on his You-Tube channel, also sees a smoke-job on the part of Itauma.
“My early prediction would be an Itauma stoppage, in a couple of rounds as well,” Allen said. “It’s all about timing. Even the best Dillian Whyte would be a hard ask [for him to win] because Itauma is a a real scary talent. They’re getting Whyte at the right time, he’s 37, he’s not been in the ring for a long time. So I think Itauma will stop him pretty early.”
If Okolie and Allen are correct, Frank Warren and the team will have to continue searching for the right fighter to extend Itauma and to test him as he continues on his mission to reach the top and stay there.
But if Whyte, 31-3(21) DOES manage to tag Itauma, well, we may get an answer or two about his chin. But it is tough to disagree with Allen and Okolie, mostly when basing the outcome of the August 16 fight on speed. Itauma is deadly sharp, while Whyte has not looked quick, sharp or particularly impressive in quite some time.
Maybe Whyte can pull out one more strong performance here, one that could perhaps give his career a badly needed shot in the arm.
Moses Itauma Vs. Dillian Whyte on August 16
The fight Dillian Whyte has landed is one with unbeaten, red-hot heavyweight star-in-the-making Moses Itauma. Now, it is fair to say that this is a fight nobody saw coming.
“Moses Itauma will look to reach contender status as he’s in the process of finalizing a deal to meet Dillian Whyte on Aug. 16 in Riyadh, sources told @ringmagazine. Itauma, the Ring’s Prospect of the Year, headlines a Riyadh Season event surrounding the Esports World Cup,” Coppinger’s message reads on X.
So, Itauma, still only 20 years old and currently 12-0(10) will take a step up in class here, even if 37 year old Whyte, 31-3, has seen better days. This is certainly an interesting fight, and Itauma, if he can do a job on Whyte and take him out fast, will make yet another statement. But is Itauma really ready for headline status just yet?
In any case, this is indeed a big fight for Whyte, one he will look to win so as to reinvigorate his career in a big, big way. Whyte can still bang, but will he be able to catch the fast and accurate Itauma with anything of real significance?
Itauma was last seen stopping a game Mike Balogun in two rounds a couple of weeks ago, while Whyte has not fought since labouring to a 7th round stoppage win over Ebenezer Tetteh in December.