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Rising British heavyweight Moses Itauma will take on American veteran Mike Balogun in his next fight, as the 20-year-old continues his rapid ascent through the professional ranks.
The match-up is set to land on the undercard of Josh Taylor vs Ekow Essuman in Scotland, but fails to mark a step up for Itauma, who defeated Demsey McKean in his last fight. Though McKean was stopped in one round, he almost went to the final bell with Filip Hrgovic, whereas Balogun’s best opponent was Murat Gassiev, who stopped him in two rounds.
Balogun has fought just twice since October 2022 and is 41 years old.
Moses Itauma’s Opponent Falls Short of Expectations
In the lead-up to the announcement, Itauma’s next move had been the subject of heavy speculation, with several names circulating the boxing rumour mill.
Albanian puncher Nelson Hysa was initially mentioned, while whispers of WBA Regular belt holder Kubrat Pulev and former world champion Charles Martin also gained traction online.
Both Pulev and Martin would have represented massive leaps in competition for the still-developing Itauma, whose team has thus far matched him wisely.
The bout with Balogun falls short not just because the American isn’t a big name, but also because there’s nothing in his record to suggest he poses a threat to Itauma, or that the fight will be remotely competitive.
Balogun’s last five victories were over opponents with a combined record of 98-48-7 and his latest win came over 11-20-5 Lamont Capers.
Itauma has yet to be truly tested over multiple rounds, and Balogun doesn’t have fans convinced he’ll be the man to ask tough questions of the young Brit.
