Moses Itauma still has a lot to prove in the eyes of an icon.
On Saturday night, the prospect destroyed Dillian Whyte inside the very first round, with ‘The Body Snatcher’ unable to take the powerful blows coming in his direction.
While Gary O’Sullivan thinks Itauma hurt Whyte with an illegal shot, for the most part, the boxing community is joined in unison in the belief that the 20-year-old could be the future of the sport.
However, there are still a lot of questions he has to answer in the eyes of a former world champion.
Sheesh: Moses Itauma savagely stopped his opponent in 23 seconds to make a statement
Moses Itauma needs to prove he can take a punch, says Antonio Tarver
Antonio Tarver was blown away by what he saw from Moses Itauma at the weekend.
However, the American believes the power puncher has to show that he can take punishment as well as dish it out.
In an interview with IFL TV, he said: “The kid came in with poise, very collected, in a fight in which we thought he’d be unnerved.
“I like the way he set it up with the jab; he wasn’t trying to get lucky. That shows the mark of a really skilled fighter.
“But, it was Dillian Whyte in there, let’s not get crazy. I wanna see him in there with a credible contender like himself, young and dangerous, then we can see what we’re talking about.
“Let these guys prove it, we had to years ago, couldn’t just get up there on a good win over a has-been.
“This isn’t the best Dillian Whyte we’ve seen. This guy is ten years removed from his prime.
“So, put him in there with a credible fighter, somebody who’s going to fight back, and we’ll see if he can take a punch.”
Moses Itauma reveals surprise boxer he’s likely to face next
As soon as the referee waved the fight off on Saturday evening, attention switched to who Itauma will share the ring with next.
With the Englishman number one in WBO rankings and Joseph Parker holding the sanctioning body’s interim belt, a clash between the pair could come to fruition if Oleksandr Usyk vacates the title.
However, the exciting boxer could go another route.
In the aftermath of his big win, Itauma revealed the shock fighter he’ll likely face next.