By: Sean Crose
There’s no doubt heavyweight Moses Itauma impressed on Saturday when he wiped out long time contender Dillian Whyte in a single round. Count former world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury among the believers. Speaking on social media this past weekend, Fury was as direct was always. “My opinion is not someone who doesn’t know boxing,” he said. “My opinion is someone who has been there and won every single belt, won everything there is to win in boxing and done very well.” Fury then moved on to the point.
“Boxing is a young man’s game,” he said. “Like I told Wladimir Klitschko when he was 37. Boxing is a young man’s game. It waits for nobody. So here is the opinion, and you heard it here first: Moses Itauma will wreck all them old men out of the division. Usyk, AJ, Miller. Whoever there is that’s old. Zhang, whoever else the fuck there is, Luis Ortiz. All these big names of the past.”
“Even the man who took my belts, Usyk” he continued,” Moses will wreck him because it’s a young man versus an old man. And an old man can’t mess with a young man.” Hyperbole? Possibly, but there’s no doubt Fury’s words are worth thinking about. Usyk, for instance, is closer to forty than he is to thirty. What’s more, Itauma is currently the toast oft heavyweight division.
Still, Fury is known to speak whatever is on his mind at any given moment. There’s a randomness to the man’s sometimes contradictory statements that make it easy not to take everything Fury says seriously. With that being said the man did present the age factor in his leadup to his 2015 title fight against Wladimir Klitschko…but then he’s also teased a comeback since suffering his second loss in a row to Usyk last year.
One thing that can’t be argued is the fact Itauma looked ferocious against Whyte last weekend in England. Although past his prime, Whyte was a perennial top contender in his heyday. He was also a man who knew how to fight under the bright lights of a significant promotion. Throw in an impressive skill set, and it’s understandable why some felt Whyte had a chance last Saturday. Their thoughts deceived them, however, as Itauma proved himself to be a force of nature. He may well be the future of the heavyweight division.
Or Fury could be blowing smoke again.
