Not long now until we get to see the incredible Moses Itauma in action once again, and now we have a confirmed opponent for his next fight.
We already knew that ‘Enriko’ (11-0 with 9 wins inside distance) would be fighting next on the Josh Taylor vs Ekow Essuman undercard in Glasgow, Scotland on Saturday May 24 (live on DAZN). But now we know who he will be in the opposite corner.
Itauma’s opponent will be former NFL star Mike Balogun (21-1 with 16 wins inside distance) – a man once signed as an undrafted free agent by the San Francisco 49ers and who later also played for the Washington Redskins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Buffalo Bills and Dallas Cowboys.
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Balogun turned away from pro football and into boxing in 2014, and won his first 20 fights in the paid ranks. But then his bid to move up a level was stopped immediately in March 2023. He was stopped inside two rings by Russian star Murat Gassiev – himself trying to make a name in the heavyweight division after being a cruiserweight superstar.
Since then Balogun has only been out once – a unanimous decision victory over Lamont Capers at the Crosswhite Athletic Club, Lynchburg in March 2024.
No Mike Tyson record for Itauma
What this next fight for Itauma also confirms is that the brilliant young star from Kent, England will not now beat Mike Tyson’s record for the youngest ever heavyweight champion. Moses turned 20 just before the end of 2024 and will not surpass the record set by Tyson back in the 1980s (20 years, 4 months and 22 days).
Despite that though the excitement around Itauma is very real – he has the skill, speed and devastating power to make boxing purists purr. So much so that talk of a world title bid in the not too distant future does not sound ridiculous at all.
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Moses was simply devastating again in his last fight, a one-round demolition job on the durable and tough Aussie Demsey McKean in Saudi Arabia late last year.
Not surprisingly Itauma will start as a prohibitive favourite against Balogun – the oddsmakers have him at 1/41 right now with Mike a 16/1 underdog.
