Promoter Frank Warren says he’s open to matching Moses Itauma against heavyweight contender Martin Bakole. He states that he spoke with Bakole’s trainer, Billy Nelson, and he said that he wanted to wait until the “end of the year” before making that fight with the unbeaten Itauma (11-0, 9 KOs).
Bakole’s Persistent Weight Issues
Bakole (21-2-1, 16 KOs) needs to lose weight because he’s looked grossly out of shape for his last two fights against Efe Ajagba and Joseph Parker. He weighed 310 lbs for the Parker clash, which he lost by a second-round knockout last February, and 299 for his previous fight against Ajagba on May 3rd in Riyadh.
That fight was scored a 10-round draw, but many boxing fans felt Ajagba deserved the win. Bakole’s weight has been a problem since his career-best victory over Jared Anderson on August 3rd last year on Turki Alalshikh’s card in Los Angeles. His previous two fights against Parker and Ajagba were on Turki’s cards.
Some wonder whether the money Bakole received for his fights on the Riyadh Season cards has led him to overeat. He appeared to train hard for the Ajagba fight, yet he only dropped 11 pounds from the 310 he weighed in his previous fight.
If Bakole were in the mid-280s, as he weighed against Jared Anderson, he might be too much for Itauma to handle. The 6’2″ Moses is a basic slugger who loads up on everything he throws. He’s not fast or crafty like Parker. If the 6’6″ Bakole is in excellent shape, he may steamroll Itauma and expose him, showing that it was all smoke and mirrors with him from the get-go. That’s what I suspect. He would have already been matched against world-class opposition if he were real. The Brits are sold on him, and failing to ask why, he isn’t being matched against high-level opposition.
We initially saw Itauma’s brother, Karol Itauma, look great, knocking everybody out. But when he stepped up against veteran Ezequiel Osvaldo Maderna, he was obliterated. He’s no longer being talked about as much after that defeat. It wouldn’t be a shock if Bakole does the same thing to Moses.
Itauma will fight little-known Mike Balogun (21-1, 16 KOs) this Saturday, May 24th, at The SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland. That fight will be on the undercard of Josh Taylor vs. Ekow Essuman, live on DAZN.
Itauma’s World Title Path
“He’s back in action, fighting Mike Balogun from the States. He needs this fight and keep the ball rolling, and keep himself going,” said promoter Frank Warren to talkSport Boxing about heavyweight Moses Itauma. “If he comes through this, I expect him to be in a big fight, and I expect him to fight for a world title very soon.”
Hopefully, Itauma will be matched against a talented opponent before he fights for a world title. His opposition has been horrible his entire career, making it impossible to know if he’s any good. He’s being matched just like his brother, Karol, was before he was exposed as a fake. Moses might be a phony, too.
Itauma’s last four opponents
– Demsey McKean: Coming off a knockout loss and a long layoff
– Mariusz Wach: 45-years-old
– Ilja Mezencev: Who is this person?
– Dan Garber: No words
“Yeah, I told him, I’d have that in a heartbeat. Billy Nelson sent me a text, saying they’d like to wait and do it at the end of this year,” said Warren about Itauma potentially fighting heavyweight contender Martin Bakole.
Last Updated on 05/20/2025
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