Moses Itauma is deemed by many to be the future of the heavyweight scene, but in the eyes of one British boxing icon, there is one fellow heavyweight who could be the youngster’s ‘kryptonite’.
Itauma is set to square-off with Flilp Hrgovic in a bout to determine the new IBF heavyweight world champion later this month, following Tuesday’s news that IBF #1 contender Frank Sanchez has agreed a step-aside deal.
As a result, by accepting an IBF title challenge, Itauma has lost his position as the WBO mandatory challenger, that would have seen him poised for a shot at the victor of Daniel Dubois vs Fabio Wardley II – which is expected to take place before the end of the year.
Speaking with talkSPORT, three-division world champion Duke McKenzie seemed thankful that Itauma had avoided a showdown with Dubois, but went on to declare newly-crowned WBC titleholder Agit Kabayel as the 21-year-old’s possible ‘kryptonite’.
“It’s just my opinion, but Daniel Dubois is all wrong for Moses Itauma right now. Dubois is where he needs to be; confidence-wise, fitness-wise, power-wise, because he has been there and he has done a number on some of the other top heavyweights in the division.
“He has got the experience on his side. He has beaten Hrgovic, Dubois, so I think that right now, stylistically, he is all wrong for Moses Itauma and also I will throw Kabayel into the mix – he is another that is tried, tested and proven at this level.
“Alright, he just got a vacant title, he got the belt handed to him but he is a champion nonetheless. I think that he is kryptonite for Moses Itauma right now.
“I’m not saying that Moses isn’t an outstanding fighter, because he is. I’m not saying that he doesn’t win a world title, because I think he will. I just think that there are certain fighters that he doesn’t want to call out right now, because he still needs that experience to mix it with the elite fighters.”
Kabayel has claimed wins over the likes of Frank Sanchez, Zhilei Zhang and Derek Chisora in his career, and is expected to return to action later this year in a first defence of his WBC crown.
As for Itauma, his fight with Hrgovic takes place on Saturday, August 29, as the Brit headlines at the O2 Arena and looks to make good on the early potential shown in his career by becoming boxing’s second youngest heavyweight champion of all time.
