\u201cLet me put this to all of you,\u201d he said. \u201cWho do you think is the hottest young fighter in the world?\u201d<\/p>\n
For the record, the Hall-of-Fame promoter did not actually wait for any answers before delivering the verdict himself. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s Moses,\u201d Warren said. \u201cEverybody says that \u2013 the American journalists and American public, actually anybody who has seen him. His fights have been on DAZN and shown all around the world. All everybody talks about is Moses.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course, it has been Warren\u2019s job for nearly half a century to hype up any of the fighters on the Queensberry roster. But when it comes to Itauma<\/a> (14-0, 12 KOs), you sense he really means what he says, and it is easy to see why.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone talks and talks about him,\u201d Warren added. \u201cWhoever I meet, they want to discuss boxing, and he is always the one they speak about.\u201d<\/p>\n This particular roundtable discussion was arranged by Queensberry Promotions by way of build-up for the August 29 show at London\u2019s 02 Arena<\/a>, where Itauma will face Filip Hrgovic<\/a> for the vacant IBF heavyweight belt in a main event DAZN<\/a> will stream globally. It will be Itauma\u2019s first crack at a world title and could represent the moment he transforms from precocious hotshot to the division\u2019s next dominant force.<\/p>\n At 21, if everything goes according to plan he could be involved in world title fights for the next decade. On the other hand, he might lose to Hrgovic (20-1, 15 KOs) and need to rebuild as a young, dangerous puncher who nobody fancies fighting. <\/p>\n But as of now, Warren is staunch in his opinion that Itauma is boxing\u2019s hottest property.<\/p>\n \u201cThe proof is in the pudding,\u201d Warren pointed out. \u201cOur last show in Manchester was the highest grossing event they\u2019ve had for boxing at the Co-op Live Arena and that was only his 14th fight, so he\u2019s already there. The public have taken to him.\u201d<\/p>\n In boxing, whether that\u2019s in Britain or anywhere else, most casual fans, whether they choose to admit it or not, love two things above all else: heavyweights and knockouts. Itauma, with 12 stoppages in 14 fights, and all but one of those coming inside the opening two rounds, ticks both boxes. <\/p>\n Should he beat Hrgovic, the Slovakia-born Kent resident will also become history\u2019s second-youngest world heavyweight champion and the youngest current male champion in the sport.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n He would knock 22-year-old Abdullah Mason<\/a> off that perch with a victory. It was the brilliant Ohioan who I had in mind when I asked Itauma how he felt about Warren\u2019s assessment that he is the hottest young property in the sport right now. Not one for braggadocio, Itauma had no intention of agreeing with his promoter.<\/p>\n \u201cOh man,\u201d he said after a long pause. \u201cWell, I appreciate the compliment from Frank Warren. It\u2019s hard to ignore Jaron Ennis and Shakur Stevenson, like they\u2019re all still kind of young. I wouldn\u2019t be able to say that I outshine them.\u201d<\/p>\n Perhaps not now, but history tells us that an undisputed world heavyweight champion can outshine everyone else in the sport, and he has long been tipped as one of them. His activity for a 21-year-old contender has not always been high, especially considering he never boxed as a senior amateur.<\/p>\n Just 31 rounds in three years and seven months is low even for heavyweight standards, but it\u2019s not his fault that he tends to get rid of people early. Dillian Whyte<\/a>, for instance, was brought in to offer him some resistance a year ago this week and was dismissed in just 119 seconds<\/a>.<\/p>\n But the reality is that a world title belt will likely mean he will only box twice a year, three at a push. Who knows how long he will go on for, but if he sticks at it until he\u2019s 30, that would take him to around 30 professional fights, with most expecting the majority of any future outings to involve world heavyweight title honors. <\/p>\n