Moses Itauma (12-0, 10 KOs) crushed the game but limited Mike Balogun (21-2, 16 KOs), knocking him out in the second round of a 10-round heavyweight bout on Saturday night at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland.
Balogun surprisingly fought aggressively, rushing the 254-lb prospect Itauma throughout the brief two-round fight. That overly aggressive approach resulted in Balogun getting dropped in the first round with a cuffing left hand.
Balogun’s Bold Aggression Backfires
At the start of the second round, Balogun came storming out of the gate, bum rushing Itauma and immediately dropped with a perfectly placed right hook to the head. Itauma landed it right on the bottom, showing speed and precision placement. Balogun went down like he’d been shot with a bullet. He stayed down until the count of nine before rising to his feet and looking unhurt.
Despite being dropped twice, Balogun showed no fear and attacked Itauma like he had him where he wanted. Itauma’s look was concerned because he knew this guy was determined to win, and he possessed more than enough power to cause an upset if he was allowed to hang around.
Balogun charged Itauma, looking to catch him with a big shot, but he walked into another right hook that dropped him flat on his back for the third knockdown. This time, the referee, John Latham, halted the fight. Balogun looked surprised as he got up, but Latham had seen enough. The time of the stoppage was at 0:46 of round two.
Last Updated on 05/24/2025
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