- Frank Warren says Moses Itauma will fight “very early” next year after being stopped by Filip Hrgovic in round nine on August 29
- Queensberry stablemate Guido Vianello, a 2016 Olympian who drew with Moses Jolly on his Queensberry debut in August, is being floated as the opponent
- Itauma's ten wins before Hrgovic all finished inside five rounds, so a rangy opponent who can survive the early storm answers the real question
What We Learned, And What We Didn't
Right then. Moses Itauma was stopped by Filip Hrgovic in the ninth round on August 29, and Frank Warren has made it clear the young heavyweight will be back very early next year and is already back in the gym. The important detail is how the fight went. Itauma's speed troubled Hrgovic early, then he could not sustain it, and that is the first time anyone has properly asked the question of his gas tank.
Make no mistake, that loss is not a disaster for a young heavyweight. It is information. The problem is that all ten of his wins before Hrgovic finished inside five rounds, which means we know how he fights when opponents wilt and almost nothing about how he fights when they refuse to.
Why Vianello Makes Sense
Enter Guido Vianello. He is 6ft 6in, a 2016 Olympian for Italy, and he has been in with proper opposition. He arrived at Queensberry in August and drew with Moses Jolly over the distance in his first fight for the company, so he has shown he can take a fight into the later rounds. That is precisely what Itauma needs to see now: an opponent with the size and the experience to soak up early punishment and still be standing in round six.
The Risk Is The Point
Vianello is not an easy night. He has lost on the scorecards to top-level opposition, but he is durable and awkward, and a draw last time out means nobody can accuse Queensberry of picking a soft touch. It is a rebuild fight with just enough danger to mean something.
The Verdict
I like this idea, and I think it is the right call for Itauma. Rushing him straight back into a title-level opponent would be a mistake after a stoppage loss, and feeding him another blown-out journeyman would prove nothing. My prediction: if the fight is made, Itauma wins, but he has to earn it over eight or ten rounds rather than knocking the man out in three. If he does, we will know a lot more about how good he can be. If he does not, the questions get louder. Either way it is a fight worth making.