The Four Key Requirements for Moses Itauma to Establish a Foothold and Win Over a Wary American Boxing Fanbase

Hall of Fame writer Thomas Hauser states that it’s not essential for British heavyweight Moses Itauma to become a crossover star in the United States.

Hauser says that the U.S has a “smaller fanbase” and is “no longer where the money comes from.” He believes the 20-year-old Itauma (13-0, 11 KOs) could become a star in the U.S if he fought on “the right platform.”

Itauma is becoming popular in the UK despite not having fought any highly rated heavyweights. He’s knocked out a collection of older fighters, many of them nowhere near top tier, and the British fanbase believes he’s the next supertar. There’s not much to like when examining Itauma’s resume.

Examining Itauma’s Weak Resume

• Dillian Whyte: 37, with knockout losses to Tyson Fury and Alexander Povetkin in the last six years.
• Mike Balogun: An obscure 41-year-old who had been knocked out in two rounds by Murat Gassiev on March 3, 2023.
• Demsey McKean: When Itauma fought McKean on December 21, 2024, he was coming off a 12th-round knockout loss to Filip Hrgovic on August 12, 2023.
• Mariusz Wach: 45-year-old journeyman with three defeats in his last five fights at the time he fought Itauma last year on July 27, 2024.
• Ilja Mezencev: A second-tier heavyweight with a recent loss to Christian Demaj (4-2).
• Dan Garber: 40-year-old Garber had a 6-2 record when Itaums fought him on March 22, 2024.

The American Fanbase’s Skepticism

Winning over the American fans would be tougher, as they’ve become more suspicious of fighters with fluff records after seeing fighters like Edgar Berlanga and Jared Anderson knocked out. Both fighters had received a lot of hype in the U.S after building impressive unbeaten records before suffering losses.

When American fans see a fighter like Moses Itauma and note that his resume is lined with lesser opposition, they’re naturally skeptical. They’ve been burned already by clever promoters, who make fighters look like 24k gold with their careful maneuvering of them.

“Could he eventually connect up in the United States with the right platform? Sure,” said Hall of Fame writer Thomas Hauser to Secondsout when asked if Moses Itauma can become a star in the U.S the way he’s becoming in the UK. Would DAZN be the right platform in the United States? Probably not.”

Key Requirements for U.S. Success

1. Fight world-class opposition: Choosing older fighters won’t work to win over American fans. Face top contenders like Joseph Parker, Richard Torrez Jr., Lenier Pero, and Filip Hrgovic.
2. Stage the fights in the U.S.
3. Show enthusiam during interviews and fight build-ups. Fans on social media have criticized Itauma for a lack of energy when speaking. Some of them have remarked that they feel “sleepy” after listening to Itauma’s interviews.
4. Have a social media presence.

U.S. Boxing’s Shifting Center

“In the world we’re in now, the United States is no longer the center of the boxing world. He doesn’t need the U.S to become a great fighter or a gate attraction,” said Hauser about Itauma. “The U.S audience has become less relevant as time goes on. The United States is no longer where all the money comes from, and it has a much smaller fanbase.

“I think to crossover to the U.S audience, Moses would have to come to the United States and maybe fight at Madison Square Garden [in New York City]. Anthony Joshua tried that. He fought Andy Ruiz at Madison Square Garden, and that didn’t go so well,” said Hauser, talking about Joshua suffering a seventh-round technical knockout against late replacement opponent, Andy Ruiz Jr., on June 1, 2019. “Could Moses establish a beachhead in America? Yeah.”

Itauma would have to come to the U.S to become a star, as having his fights piped in from the UK or Riyadh isn’t enough. Again, the quality of opposition that Moses fights would need to be raised considerably for him to win over fans in the United States.