Moses Itauma’s decision to turn down a fight against Frank Sanchez in an IBF heavyweight title eliminator this week is being heavily criticized by fans on social media.
Is This the First Red Flag?
That was a fight that Moses should have accepted, so he could shut down the criticism that he’s received about being a manufactured fighter. He’s not done much as an amateur before turning pro in 2023. The guys he’s fought in the pros have older fighters one after another.
Itauma, 20, is reportedly choosing to go in a different direction rather than face the powerful Cuban Sanchez, who has the hand speed to match his. He also has the power that would have tested whether Moses is legit.
Hunter or Adeleye: Safer Choices
Coppinger reports that Itauma will be fighting in December against potentially one of these two fighters:
- David Adeleye
- Michael Hunter
The 37-year-old Hunter (24-1-2, 17 KOs) is around the same age as many of the opponents Itauma has fought in the last two years.
In addition to those fighters, Filip Hrgovic, Zhilei Zhang, and Jarrell Miller were also under consideration for Itauma’s next fight in December. Hrgovic suffered a bad cut in his last fight against Adeleye. He wouldn’t be ready to fight Itauma in December even if he wanted to take the contest.
Why Fans Smell Cherry-Picking
The praise that Itauma had been getting after his first-round knockout win over veteran Dillian Whyte on August 16, 2025, has disappeared in some quarters. Those who view Itauma as showing signs of fear believe he intends to cherry-pick his way to the job.
What fans worry about is Itauma maneuvering himself into capturing a world title, and then selecting his opponents, weeding out the dangerous ones, as we’re seeing here with Sanchez. That’s not what the heavyweight division needs.
Itauma’s weak resume says a lot about him and his management. If he were the real thing, he wouldn’t have been matched against these guys:
- Dillian Whyte: 37
- Mike Balogun: 41
- Mariusz Wach: 45
- Dan Garber: 40
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Last Updated on 10/01/2025
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