One of Mike Tyson’s former boxing coaches, Teddy Atlas, has proclaimed Moses Itauma as “the real deal” ahead of the British youngster’s return to the ring August 8, as mentioned earlier in the week.
“They’ve been very smart,” Atlas said of those around him, who have shaped and guided the burgeoning boxer’s career so far. “He got a little bit of a test in his last fight, not a huge test against Franklin, but a little bit of a test, where he didn’t dispatch him right away.
“He had to deal with a guy who was technically decent, making him miss, a guy that was experienced but a guy who didn’t come in great shape,” said Atlas. “I was a little disappointed in the lack of conditioning Franklin came in with.
“But having said that, it’s a guy who went the distance with Anthony Joshua. It’s a guy who did represent a step up for Moses Itauma, there’s no doubt about that. He handled the step up. He dealt with missing punches, not landing his big shot in the first few rounds, having to deal with that and that is another part of the progression of a fighter.”
The 6-foot-5 southpaw finished Dillian Whyte in the first round last year, and has previous wins over Mariusz Wach to go alongside his most recent finish of Franklin.
For Atlas, the development is happening at a reasonable enough pace, to fully prepare him for an eventual title shot against the Fabio Wardley vs Daniel Dubois winner, or Oleksandr Usyk.
“Frank Warren is one of the great promoters … bringing him along properly, a little bit at a time. I think now it’s time to step a little more. Do I think he’s ready for the ultimate step? Not yet.
“He’s the first guy since Mike Tyson to show me the kind of combined abilities of speed and power in a heavyweight, both, not just power.”
Teddy Atlas waxes lyrical over Moses Itauma
“We’ve had plenty of guys that have power, plenty of guys that have speed, but he joins, like Mike Tyson, which is very rare with speed and power, and power with either hand,” added Atlas. “He’s shown me a good intellect. He’s shown me good technique, and he’s shown me a good intellect in the ring.
“This guy’s going to be a champion,” he said. “He’s that good, and he’s that smart, and he’s being brought along that well.”
