Solve the Itama problem

Hearn’s response was thoughtful. He said he had two heavyweights who could “rock out with him.” Not to outdo him or outdo him, but to rock with him. This language betrays the nature of the game.

“I’ve got to find some heavyweights that can really rock with him for the next three or four years, and I’ve found two heavyweights that can really rock with him,” Hearn said. talk sports boxing.

Itauma’s rise was built on rapid destruction. Once the tempo picks up and the left hand lands, most of his opponents will fold. If you’re building an answer, start with durability and strength. You’re looking for someone who’s tall, has strong hands, and doesn’t panic when the early shots come. That seems to be what Hearn is building towards.

australian olympian Teremona Teremona Considered a near-term option, Hearn floated a six- to 12-month window. Tremoana has wiped out his early opposition, but he’s yet to operate under real pressure. The knockouts look good on paper, but they don’t tell you how he’s going to react when the fight gets uncomfortable.

Then 18 years old Leo AtangHearn publicly admitted it would take time. He’s ten games into his career with four shutouts and has clear upside, but he’s still a teenager in a division where physical maturity changes everything. Hearn has stated that if Don were to fight for the world title, he would fight Itamar.

This is brave matchmaking conversation, and it also tells you who the entire conversation is centered around.

It’s not Tyson Fury or Anthony Joshua or Oleksandr Usyk who sets the tone for this age group. The measure of this new generation is a 21-year-old Queensberry prospect, and if you follow the way these cycles usually turn out, it’s a transformation you wouldn’t have predicted two years ago.

The risks of this strategy are obvious. Building a fighter around finishing one opponent can narrow the scope of development, because if you train primarily to survive a fighter, you may ignore other parts of his game. Itauma was more than just heavy-handed. He can quickly close the distance, set traps, and cut into the ring in a way that forces turnovers.

If he continues to add patience and variety, the fighters we see in 2026 may be very different from the fighters they look at today.

Timing is another issue. Itauma is on its way to world level immediately, Teremoana is expected to be available next year, and Atang is further away. If Itauma reaches contender status before either man has tested himself against an experienced operator, it becomes harder for the theoretical matchup to be considered competitive.

Now, the balance is clear. Itama dictates the urgency, and others are adjusting their plans around him.

That doesn’t mean Hearn is wrong. Heavyweight boxing is an ever-changing world, and reputations can be rewritten with just one punch. But until one of his prospects proves he can handle real resistance, the “rock with him” rhetoric remains more blueprint than evidence.

Influence without a title

Itauma has forced rival promoters to take his situation into account when designing fighters. That’s the kind of clout that precedes a world title, and in heavyweight boxing, that clout usually belongs to the champion.

Whether Matchroom’s anti-Itauma project poses a real threat remains unknown. For now, it confirms something simpler. Moses Itauma is no longer just a rising prospect. He is a problem that others are trying to solve.