The whole point of Moses Itauma’s 14th professional fight on Saturday was to learn. Regardless of whether the fight went long or short, the hope was that his opponent, Jermaine Franklin, would, while still upright, be able to teach Itauma a thing or two.
In addition, it was a learning experience for the rest of us, too. In fact, as is often the case with highly-touted prospects, whenever Itauma fights and vaults to new heights we learn a bit more about the 21-year-old heavyweight from England. Some things we see are obvious; others less so. Some things we learn at the same time he learns them, whereas other things we learn long after Itauma and his team have already learned them. Either way, there is perhaps no journey in boxing more fascinating than that of Moses Itauma right now, which means every time he sets foot in a ring we are inclined to watch closely.
Here are just some of the things we learned from his scintillating fifth-round stoppage of Franklin in Manchester.
1) He can draw a crowd
In terms of long-term planning, almost as important as the victory itself was the image of 15,000 fans cheering Itauma once he had secured it. To attract that many fans to a fight like that – merely the next step on the learning curve – is encouraging for both Itauma and his promoter, Frank Warren. It also suggests that the UK has a man in Itauma with the ability to fill the void left by Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, two other British heavyweight crowd-pleasers, when they retire in the next year or so. Already, at the age of just 21, Itauma has that X Factor. Already his fights have become can’t-miss events.
2) He is a man for the big occasion
It’s one thing drawing a crowd in boxing, but it’s another thing to be able to perform in front of a crowd under the bright lights. Many fighters struggle with this component, yet Itauma seems made for it. Unflappable and calm, he showed no signs of stage fright when sauntering to the ring on Saturday night and his performance was no different than his 13 previous ones. He was every bit as cool and clinical as he has been in the past. The only difference in fact was the volume of noise that hit him when he turned away from Jermaine Franklin, having left him in a heap.
3) He is a one-man variety show
Of all the divisions in boxing, heavyweight is the most easily understood as far as the mechanics go. Typically, it is boxing simplified. The boxers are bigger, the fights are shorter, and the range of punches on display is easier to digest, with jabs, crosses and hooks the staple diet of the generic big man. But then someone like Moses Itauma comes along; someone who throws heavyweight punches with welterweight speed and can throw every shot in the book, often in combination. Poor Jermaine Franklin, his latest plaything, experienced this firsthand on Saturday. From the opening bell to the fight’s conclusion Franklin was not only blinded by Itauma’s speed of hand but also kept guessing, never certain whether Itauma would aim high to the head or low to the body. This explained why the squat American appeared so tetchy throughout. It also explained how Itauma was able to surprise him with a left uppercut nobody saw coming in round five.
4) Jermaine Franklin can be stopped
Going into Saturday’s fight with Itauma much was made of Jermaine Franklin’s durability and dependability – and for good reason, too. In a 26-fight pro career Franklin had been beaten only twice – against Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte – and never been close to being stopped. That is precisely why he got the fight. After all, if Itauma is still at the stage of his career where he is expected to beat the opponents standing in front of him, at least by choosing men like Franklin – the supposedly unstoppable – there is some sort of challenge and reward for him beyond simply picking up the win. In this case, although the win was expected, few would have predicted Itauma to punch through Franklin the way he did on Saturday night, never mind finish him the way he did.
5) He is a thinker
While it is easy to get swept away by his knockouts, his perfect heavyweight build, and the cold detachment he exhibits when in the ring, we also saw on Saturday Itauma’s ability to think his way through a fight. Between rounds one and two, for example, he could be heard telling his coach, Ben Davison, that he believed the pace he had set in the opener was too quick and that it might benefit him to now settle down. Whether this was because Itauma was feeling the pace or expected a long night, it hardly mattered. All that mattered was that Itauma was thinking his way through the fight and demonstrating an ability to navigate the early rounds with a maturity most 21-year-old heavyweights don’t possess. Even after the fight, when the job was done, Itauma admitted to DAZN that he had tried stopping Franklin in the first couple of rounds to win his friends “some dough” only to accept it was more sensible to take his time and break his opponent down gradually. Again, Itauma, as well as being the future, is no fool.
6) Nobody will be rushing to fight him
If it wasn’t enough that he was a 21-year-old southpaw with a reputation that precedes him, we now know that Moses Itauma’s power can do things to durable heavyweights they have never before experienced. That alone takes Itauma into a different realm. Now he is not just a prospect accelerating through a creaking division, but a man to fear; perhaps even avoid. Worst of all, no longer will prospective opponents have that slim hope of catching Itauma before he properly develops and becomes the finished article. That hope, it seems, has gone. Somehow, Itauma has already ripened.
7) The hype train is moving
Although Itauma has never lacked for attention or hype, there was a real sense on Saturday that everything moved up a notch and that even non-believers and sceptics were starting to fidget uneasily in their seats. Most telling of all, perhaps, is how many of Itauma’s fellow pros reacted to his slaying of Franklin, with many of them quick to reach for their phones and tell the world via social media how much they rated him. It wasn’t just his fellow pros in the UK, either. He also had many from overseas – world champions, no less – eager to jump onboard. There was this from Devin Haney: “Moses is the next guy.” Then you had Shakur Stevenson, who wrote: “Itauma is a beast!!!”
8) He is almost there
The problem with being so good so young is the constant push and pull. On the one hand, Itauma has every right to wait for the current crop of heavyweights to grow old and retire and simply float in the shallow end until that happens. Yet, on the other hand, Itauma already shows such ability and maturity that it would almost be a shame for him not to capitalise on drowning one of the big names while they are still around. Moreover, having conquered a contender like Franklin so comfortably, one wonders how many more steps there are to take before we start imagining what a fight between Itauma and one of the world champions would look like. As absurd as it sounds, there can’t be too many more, surely.
9) Frank Warren adores him
After Itauma had stopped Franklin for win number 14, his promoter, Frank Warren, found himself in the centre of a hype storm, with numerous reporters badgering him for the most outlandish soundbite he was prepared to give them. Warren, to his credit, stood strong. He did, however, admit to the press that Itauma is the best young heavyweight with whom he has ever worked.
10) There is still more to learn
As hard as it is not to get carried away with Itauma – and believe me, it is hard – there is still the need for some perspective. This, after all, is a 21-year-old who has boxed just 14 times as a professional. Even Saturday’s win, as good as it was, came against a man who had previously lost to Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte, neither of whom are in any state to challenge for a heavyweight title, much less hold one. That’s not to say Itauma beating Franklin the way he did should be ignored, but, equally, stopping Franklin inside five rounds should not be the trigger for anyone to now favour Itauma in a fight against someone like Oleksandr Usyk, for instance. There are, as they say, levels to this, and Itauma, though rising fast, is still climbing the lower rungs of the heavyweight ladder.
