Legendary commentator and trainer Teddy Atlas has compared a top heavyweight prospect to boxing legend Manny Pacquiao.
‘Pac-Man’ is regarded as one of the greatest fighters in boing history, winning world titles in an astonishing eight weight divisions during his glittering career.
The 46-year-old from the Philippines was known for his fast hands and a come-forward & aggressive style that was matched with incredible footwork, which was known to cause nightmares for the majority of his opponents.
Speaking on his own YouTube channel THE FIGHT, Atlas compared British heavyweight contender Moses Itauma to a young Pacquiao, as he broke down Itauma’s performance and victory over Demsey McKean last month.
“You gotta be cerebral, you gotta be smart, he showed me he’s smart. He’s got good technique, he’s got great talent, he’s got good eyes. He closes the gap [with] his feet. His hands are pretty quick but his feet are quick.
He closes the gap like a young, small Pacquiao, like a heavyweight version of Pacquiao when he was young, where Pacquiao would close that gap so fast, before you can blink an eye.”
The 20-year-old from Great Britain has won all 11 of his professional fights, with his most recent victory coming against McKean, as he blasted out the Australian in the very first round of their contest on the undercard of the Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk rematch last month.
Itauma was named ‘Prospect Of The Year’ at the inaugural Ring Magazine awards last week, as he looks to cement himself as Britain’s next heavyweight superstar over the last couple of years.