“I think it’s a fight everyone wants to see. I think it’s a fight DAZN will want to see. I think it’s a fight Eddie will want to make. I think it’s a fight the IBF will want to make. So I think it’s bound to happen 100%,” Shalom said to DAZN Boxing.
Shalom went considerably further with his praise of Kraus, calling him the best light heavyweight in the world and saying he believes the Dutch puncher will eventually unify the division.
That is promoter talk considering how little Kraus has proven. His opposition hasn’t been strong either. But that makes a fight with Whittaker easier to justify, not harder.
Kraus is 12-0 with 11 knockouts and has stopped his last four opponents inside two rounds, including Sean Hemphill in just 63 seconds on August 8 in Leeds. The Dutch puncher is still developing, but the way he attacks makes him dangerous.
Kraus swarms opponents like an oversized Aaron Pryor, jumping on them with punches in bunches, trying to overwhelm them before they can settle into the fight. He doesn’t give them much time to organize themselves once he starts attacking.
That would be a completely different test from the level Whittaker has been facing.
Whittaker is scheduled to face Conor Wallace (17-1, 12 KOs) on October 3. Wallace represents a step up from the godawful opposition Hearn has been feeding him, but in my estimation, Kraus would blow him out. Kraus looks much more dangerous because of the way he swarms opponents and refuses to give them room to recover.
Shalom sees no reason to wait.
“It’s better to catch Gradus now whilst he’s a prospect at 25 than in two or three years’ time,” he said.
The same argument applies even more strongly to Whittaker. By that point, Whittaker will already be in his early thirties. How much longer does a fighter with an Olympic background and extensive amateur experience need to be developed?
Neither Kraus nor Whittaker has proven himself against the elite at light heavyweight. The difference is that Whittaker is older, owns the amateur pedigree, and carries Matchroom’s elite hype machine behind him.
If Whittaker really is that special, eventually he has to prove he can beat fighters like Kraus. Capturing a world title at light heavyweight means getting past dangerous contenders, and keeping the belt means doing it again and again.
Kraus would give Hearn an opportunity to find out exactly what he has.
The division isn’t going to become easier for Whittaker. If David Benavidez remains at 175 pounds, Whittaker is going to have serious problems when he reaches that level. Protecting him from dangerous young punchers won’t prepare him for someone like Benavidez.
Shalom is willing to put his 25-year-old knockout artist in with Whittaker now. If Hearn genuinely believes his 29-year-old Olympic silver medalist is the rare talent he claims, he should be willing to take him up on the offer.
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