'Time is on his side!' - Former champion feels no rush for Moses Itauma to seal heavyweight title

Moses Itauma does not need to rush for a world title, but Andy Lee thinks the star wishes to succeed sooner rather than later as he leads the next generation of contenders.

The WBO #1 contender faces Dillian Whyte atop a stacked bill this evening at Riyadh's ANB Arena, live on DAZN Pay-Per-View, looking to shore up his glowing reputation further.

For months, key figures in boxing have tipped Itauma to become a future world champion, particularly as a sea change sees experienced contenders slowly hang up their gloves.

Speaking on DAZN's coverage, Lee suggested that the star could cool his heels, but stressed he sees him as the heir to Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury, and their fellow greats too.

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"Time is on his side, but I don't believe there is a rush for him," he said. "With the generation of heavyweights we've had, there aren't many coming up behind. There's one or two.

"But Moses is definitely leading that charge. He is the future of the heavyweight division, regardless. Fury, Chisora, Usyk, Joshua, Parker, they're going to have to retire soon.

"Who's coming up behind? There aren't many left, and there's not many coming through. He's in a rush. He's fighting Dillian Whyte to be right in the mix with the title contenders."

Both Itauma and Whyte weighed in at trimmed-down levels this week, as the former accused the latter of "playing the sheep to catch the wolf" as they prepare to trade blows.

Lee disagreed with the idea that slimmer figures could necessarily prove decisive, but agreed the older man must master the emotions of the occasion as much as his foe to win.

"I don't think it makes you fast or quicker, but I think it means you can be moved by the bigger man," he added. I think there's a bit of psychology involved

"It can go both ways. It might get [Whyte]  motivated and fired up, or it could affect his performance. As much as the coaching and technical side, there's a psychology side.

"You can see a fire in Dillian this week. I think he has to be better than his great nights to beat Moses Itauma. He's very stoic, very relaxed, very comfortable in his own skin."

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