“Just a walk in the park that was for Itauma. Him vs Bakole would be a very good fight to make,” said Jones on social media.
Frank Warren has been vocal about making Itauma the youngest heavyweight champion ever. A loss to a “boogeyman” like Bakole, who offers high risk but relatively low commercial reward compared to a world title shot, could permanently stall that historic goal.
It’s a massive jump in terms of both the “punched back” factor and sheer physical scale for Itauma going against Bakole. The version of Bakole that showed up in the low 280s to stop Jared Anderson was a mobile, high-volume nightmare.
Even a “heavy” Bakole at 300+ lbs still has a massive 82-inch reach and a thudding jab. Unlike Itauma’s previous opponents, Bakole won’t be intimidated by the hype. He’s spent years as the “boogeyman” in sparring sessions with the likes of Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
Bakole already showed what happens when a rising heavyweight steps up too soon. Jared Anderson went in with momentum and came out needing to rebuild after their 2024 fight. That result still sits there as a warning.
Itauma is younger and still being built. Bakole doesn’t fade early, and he doesn’t give opponents time to settle. If Itauma can’t get him out of there, the fight changes quickly.
From a managerial standpoint, putting a 21-year-old Itauma in with a 300-pound veteran who has nothing to lose is a terrifying prospect. If Bakole shows up in shape (back in those 280s), he likely has the engine to drag Itauma into deep water. If he shows up at 300+, it becomes a sloppy, leaning affair that might not help Itauma’s development anyway.
It feels like a fight that Sam Jones wants for the headlines, but one Frank Warren might steer clear of until Itauma has at least one 10-round “dog fight” under his belt.
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