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Eddie Hearn is building two heavyweights to beat ‘exceptional’ Moses Itauma

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Moses Itauma, guided by Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions, is widely considered to be the heir to the heavyweight throne. Eddie Hearn is looking ahead to make sure he has a stake in the division in years to come.

Itauma has done everything right as a professional, moving to 13-0 with 11 stoppages. Last time out, he beat former world challenger Dillian Whyte in all of two minutes.

Though injury pushed back his next challenge against Jermaine Franklin, when fight night comes around next month the 21 year old is expected to push on in impressive fashion. World titles are around the corner, and a changing of the guard should happen over the next 24 months.

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Though Itauma is leading the charge for the new generation of big men, there are other exciting names on the rise. Top Rank’s Richard Torrez is impressing across the pond, and Matchroom — having had arguably the biggest star in the sport in Anthony Joshua since debut — won’t go down without a fight.

In his stable, Hearn pinpointed to IFL TV two heavyweights to ‘rock with’ Itauma in future: Teremoana Teremoana and Leo Atang.

“[Itauma] is an exceptional talent. He’s a one-off talent; that’s the best word. A one-off.

“I’ve got to find some heavyweights that can rock with him over the next three or four years, and I’ve got two that I think will really rock with him. One will rock with him in 6 to 12 months, and that’s Teremoana, and the other one is Leo Atang.”

Australia’s Teremoana is 9-0 with 9 early finishes and has the charisma to be a fan favourite in the heavyweight ranks. With Matchroom actively working down under, he will have the right backing to grow, and the man himself has talked up the idea of a huge fight with Itauma.

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Perhaps more intriguing for fans years down the line will be Atang, the 4-0 Yorkshireman who has been likened to ‘AJ.’ Coming off a third round win over Amine Boucetta last month, he will be back out on February 21 on the undercard of Leigh Wood vs Josh Warrington. Atang, 19, is significantly behind Itauma in his development, but welcomes the idea of a British rivalry brewing. Hearn knows that this one in particular will take time, and Itauma will likely be champion when it happens.

“We need more time, he’s [Atang] 18 and 10 fights behind (Itauma). If Leo is going to go and fight for the world heavyweight championship, he’s gonna be against Moses.

“I can give you the hype but the reality is, anything can happen. You really need a lot of luck along the way.”

All three talents indicate that the heavyweight division can thrive when the likes of Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury and Joshua draw the curtain on their campaigns.

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ONE Fight Night 40: “I’ll beat him everywhere”

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Adrian Lee won’t settle for a basic victory when he returns to the Circle for his fifth promotional appearance. Instead, the young Singaporean-American dynamo promises total domination.

The 19-year-old martial artist faces Japanese star Shozo Isojima in a lightweight MMA clash on February 13 inside Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium. Their three-round battle will be part of ONE Fight Night 40: Buntan vs. Hemetsberger II on Prime Video.

‘The Phenom’ and Isojima enter this battle after falling to ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion Tye Ruotolo in their respective lightweight MMA battles last year.

Ahead of fight night, the Hawaii-based fighter made bold predictions about how their matchup would unfold.

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“He has some accolades in his judo and his wrestling, but I believe that I’ll beat him everywhere in this game,” Adrian Lee confidently told ONE Championship.

That confidence shows zero concern about Isojima’s credentials.

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The Japanese fighter brings a legitimate grappling pedigree into this high-stakes matchup, but the Prodigy Training Center athlete is dismissing any talk about his foe having an advantage there ahead of Friday’s clash.

Lee’s all-around arsenal could help him dominate Isojima, but if the latter can pounce on any opportunity throughout this fight, he could well leave the Lumpinee Stadium with one of the biggest upsets of the night.


Adrian Lee ‘itching’ to return to action in Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium

Adrian Lee revealed his excitement for his ONE Championship return in a post on his official Instagram account last month.

Lee, who goes by the username @adrianleemma on the social media application, wrote:

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“About that time again, itching to get into that cage.”

The 19-year-old is currently 3-1 in his professional MMA journey. All three of his victories, against Antonio Mammarella, Nico Cornejo, and Takeharu Ogawa, were achieved via submission.

ONE Fight Night 40 will be available to active Amazon Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada, live in U.S. primetime, for free, this Friday.

Fight fans around the globe, meanwhile, can tune in to the card via ONE’s official YouTube channel, the ONE Super App, and watch.onefc.com. Geo-restrictions may apply.