Is Moses Itauma Ready For The Big Fights?

Moses Itauma takes on Mike Balogun this weekend in a heavyweight clash, but is he ready for big-time boxing? 

Itauma knocked out Demsey McKean in his last fight, which was his fourth stoppage of 2024. That extended his undefeated record to 11-0, with 9 knockouts. That was the biggest win of Moses’ career, as all eyes turn on whether he can get a title shot this year. The belts are currently occupied by Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois.

Warren Reacts

Usyk holds the WBA, WBC and WBO Heavyweight Titles. He faces Dubois, who holds the IBF belt, for the Undisputed Heavyweight Title. A fight against either is risky, given Itauma’s lack of experience in the pro ranks. However, Frank Warren has not ruled out Itauma facing Oleksandr Usyk this year. A win over Usyk would make him one of the youngest world champions in boxing at just 20. 

“I think [Itauma] could fight for a world title this year. Who knows? He may fight him [Usyk] this year. Anything’s possible. We’ve got to see what happens but the thing is with Moses, I think within another fight or two he’s quite capable of being in exactly the same company as all these guys. “He can be up there with all of them,” Warren said 

Another name who has been mentioned is Martin Bakole. Bakole was considered the bogeyman of the division after he knocked out Jared Anderson. Anderson was tipped as a future heavyweight champion, showing the magnitude of the win. Since then, Bakole’s form has dipped. He was knocked out by Joseph Parker in a fight that he took on short notice. In hindsight, he had taken that fight without being prepared. Bakole followed that fight up with a majority draw against Efe Ajagba in a bout where some felt he came out second best. Warren has earmarked Bakole as a possible opponent for Itauma. 

Other Options

“One million percent. If you went and picked the phone up now and asked George [his son] and Shalom, who was there, I said that to Shalom. I said I’d do that fight in a heartbeat. And I also said to Lawrence Okolie, ‘If you got caught by him, you should be arrested for loitering,” Warren stated 

There is a danger that Moses takes on too many challenges early on. Filip Hrgovic discussed a possible fight against Moses, saying he would be happy to take on that challenge. Itauma won The Ring’s Prospect of the Year, as Hrgovic may fancy his chances against someone who is young but could be a world beater, thus boosting his resume. Hrgovic lost to Daniel Dubois before bouncing back with a unanimous decision win against Joe Joyce. Hrgovic was ready for this bout moving forward if the opportunity presented itself. 

“One side is skill, another is heart and chin. He’s definitely done a great job until now but yeah, let’s do it, just look at Jared Anderson… he looked good until he didn’t. I’m more than happy having that fight, he’s still young and they need to be cautious matching him properly, don’t rush him too soon into some hard fights. We’ll see if he has the heart of a warrior,” Hrgovic revealed