Moses Itauma is back in training, and Frank Warren wants him fighting early next year. Queensberry’s choice of opponent will tell us more than the return date. Guido Vianello is on its heavyweight roster and offers a kind of test Itauma needs: a fight that might remain difficult after the opening rounds.
Itauma’s speed gave Filip Hrgovic serious trouble on August 29. But when Hrgovic kept coming, Itauma could not maintain his pace. By the ninth round, the title challenge was over. A quick knockout in his comeback would restore a win to his record without showing whether he can manage his energy when an opponent survives his early attack.
Warren has spoken about changes since the defeat.
“He’s going to fight very early next year, I’ve spoken to him a few times. He’s actually back in the gym. I’m going to sit down with the team in the next week. Now the dust is settled, we can all speak calmly and clearly. He’s very disappointed. He knows what he did wrong. And as I’ve said from the start, there has got to be some serious changes,” said Warren to iFL TV.
One change should be the matchmaking. Vianello went the distance with Moses Jolly in August and has the size and experience to ask questions of Itauma. Queensberry has not announced or proposed the fight. It is a matchup worth considering because Itauma needs rounds against someone who can keep working, make him reset, and force him to decide when to spend his energy.
Before Hrgovic, Itauma had not heard the final bell since a pair of six-round fights in 2023. His longest outing in the ten fights between those bouts and Hrgovic lasted five rounds. That record made for exciting highlights. It left one vital question unanswered when he challenged for a world title.
Vianello would carry risk for a 21-year-old returning from his first loss. That is precisely why the choice matters. Queensberry can give Itauma another opponent expected to fall quickly, or it can find out whether he is learning to fight when the knockout does not come.
Read the full article here