Eddie Hearn says Dillian Whyte has a puncher’s chance against heavy favorite Moses Itauma next Saturday, August 16th, in their headliner on DAZN PPV in Riyadh.
Hearn on Itauma’s Untested Chin
Hearn states that the 20-year-old Itauma (12-0, 10 KOs) still has “question marks” because he’s never been “tested.” He can say that again. Itauma has never been matched against a live opponent, either in the pros or in the amateurs. He’s fought no one during his entire life.
So, Whyte, as faded as he is, is a massive step up in class from the opposition that Itauma has been fighting.
“I do think Moses is a big favorite in the fight, but let’s understand. Dillian is a serious fighter. He’s a tough man and he can punch,” said Eddie Hearn to The Stomping Ground, analyzing the Moses Itauma vs. Dillian Whyte fight for this Saturday.
Of course, Itauma is the favorite. Whyte is old, inactive, and has been on the downside of his career for the last four years. We saw how he was knocked out by the slapper Tyson Fury in 2022.
Dillian’s chin has been gone since he was knocked clean out by Alexander Povetkin in 2020. That was the end for Dillian. He can still punch, but his ability to take a good shot is gone entirely. So, the only chance Whyte has in this fight is to connect with one of his big left hooks on Itauma early in the contest on August 16th.
“The question mark for Moses, and purely because we haven’t seen them tested, are Moses’ chin and Moses’ will,” Hearn said. “The only way Dillian can win the fight is to test those things, but he’s a good fighter.”
Itauma’s Unproven Professional Record
For a fighter to have been matched as weakly as Itauma has been at the amateur and professional levels, it suggests that he’s been brought along strictly for financial purposes. You can’t protect a fighter the way he’s been if there isn’t some defect being hidden. One suspects it’s the chin. It’s always the chin. I’ve seen it a million times with different fighters. He must have got touched up at some point, and now he’s being protected like he’s a valuable Ming vase. If Itauma were the real thing, he should be fighting young contenders like Lenier Pero, Richard Torrez Jr., and Dainier Pero.
If the idea was to develop Itauma, he would have stayed in the amateurs and fought at the world level. He didn’t do that. Itauma fought lesser amateurs and didn’t face the talented fighters from the U.S, Cuba, Russia, Kazakhstan, or Ukraine.
“I think it’s a bad style match-up for Dillian, but if he can take Moses into deep waters in the late rounds, I think he’s got a chance in the fight,” said Hearn about Whyte. “He’s going to be a dangerous opponent for anybody. I think it’s a great heavyweight matchup.”
Itauma won’t make it easy for Whyte to land, but he’s open for right hands. Although Moses is tall at 6’4″, he doesn’t extend his arms far out in front of him. It’s as if he lacks the flexibility to straighten out his arms entirely. When he goes to attack, his head is wide open for right hands. Itauma depends too much on his hand speed and power to win. That’ll be his downfall if Whyte can connect.
Itauma’s Readiness for Usyk
“Potentially one or two fights, but it depends on how you want to bring him through,” said Hearn when asked how close Itauma is to challenging undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk. “He’s a fantastic young prospect. He’s only young, and he’s only going to get better. But if you want to roll the dice, and you believe he’s good enough to beat those guys now, why not?”
It would be a foolish thing for Queensberry to put Itauma in with a talented fighter like Usyk. Moses has no experience at the amateur or professional level to give him a chance of defeating Usyk.
Moreover, Itauma’s potshot style of fighting wouldn’t work against this type of fighter. You’ve got to be able to throw combinations, and Itauma has never shown that he can do that. Everything with him is one punch and get out. He fights like he’s hiding glass in his chin.
Last Updated on 08/10/2025
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