Promoter Frank Warren says the July 19th opponent for his fighter, Moses Itauma, will be “revealed probably on Saturday” for the Wembley Stadium event in London.
Itauma’s Opponent Reveal
Warren isn’t giving any hints about who the 20-year-old heavyweight contender Itauma (12-0, 10 KOs) is, but his son, Francis Warren, has already named Otto Wallin and Jermaine Franklin as the two that are under consideration.
Those aren’t step-ups from Itauma’s last two ham-and-eggers, Mike Balogun and Demsey McKean. Those are steps down from those two. Fans have been critical of Wallin, 34, and Franklin as potential opponents for Itauma because neither of them represents an improvement over the tomato cans that he has been knocking over.
It reinforces the perception that some people have that Itauma is being strategically matched to give the appearance of quality. You can call it marketing 101 on how to sell a flawed product. The seller emphasizes the product’s positive features by displaying it at the best possible angle. Matching Itauma against the likes of McKean, Balogun, and 45-year-old Mariuz Wach can hide flaws in his game.
Test Moses Itauma Now
Ideally, Moses should be matched against the top contenders to allow him to display that he’s 24k gold. If Itauma is exposed, then you know he was fool’s gold, and you dump him.
Who Itauma should be matched against on July 19th
- Joseph Parker
- Richard Torrez Jr.
- Bakhodir Jalolo
- Dainier Pero
- Filip Hrgovic
- Martin Bakole
- Zhilei Zhang
- Efe Ajagba
- Andy Ruiz Jr.
- Jared Anderson
With the current way Itauma is being matched against cans, it glosses over his flaws, such as his chin. Martin Bakole’s trainer, Billy Nelson, has implied that Itauma has a weak chin. With the way Itauma is being pitted against soft opposition, there’s no way of knowing if what Nelson is saying is valid.
“There is nothing behind the scenes. It’s just nonsense,” said promoter Frank Warren to Ring Magazine, reacting to being told that Martin Bakole’s trainer, Billy Nelson, says Moses Itauma has a chin problem. “Billy sometimes has something to say and he talks crap sometimes and that’s what he does.”
Sink or Swim Decision
Itauma should have already been matched against the likes of Filip Hrgovic, Andy Ruiz Jr, and Martin Bakole ages ago. With the amount of hype that is going on with Itauma, he should have been thrown in with those sharks in a sink or swim mode a year ago. Right now, he appears 100% fake and vulnerable to any of the top-tier heavyweights once he’s no longer being matched carefully.
“Nobody is going to tell me about Martin Bakole. I’ve got two eyes,” said Warren. “I know what he’s capable of doing, Martin Bakole, and I know what he’s not capable of doing. Everybody was telling me he’s the best thing since sliced bread. He’s this and that. He’s the most avoided fighter, and I look at his record. Name me his record, some well-known names.”
Bakole has wins over these fighters:
– Carlos Takam
– Tony Yoka
– ared Anderson
Those three are a heck of a lot better than anyone that Itauma has beaten in his career. Any of them would be a vast improvement over the low-level lot on Moses’ resume.
“Yeah, you’ll get all revealed probably on Saturday night after the fight,” said Warren when asked who Itauma will be fighting on the July 19th undercard at Wembley Stadium.
If I were Itauma’s promoter, I’d have fed him to the sharks to see what I’ve got. It’s pointless to keep him on board if he’s not capable of beating the quality fighters in the division. We already saw what happened to Moses’ brother, Karol Itauma, when he was stepped up against a high-level journeyman. He was knocked out. Before that, Karol had looked like a future world champion, and everyone was banging on about how he was destined for greatness.
Last Updated on 06/02/2025
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