Moses Itauma’s promoter, Francis Warren, is targeting Otto Wallin or Jermaine Franklin for the 20-year-old heavyweight’s next bout.
Fresh off a second-round stoppage of Mike Balogun in Glasgow, Itauma was inexplicably vaulted to the #1 spot in the WBO heavyweight rankings. Balogun, a former football player with no marquee wins, was knocked out just as easily by Murat Gassiev two years ago.
Warren believes Wallin, coming off back-to-back defeats, including a knockdown-filled loss to Derek Chisora, would be a “durable test.” But fans see it differently. Wallin was stopped in five by Anthony Joshua, and his recent form suggests he’s no longer the tricky southpaw who pushed Tyson Fury to the brink in 2019.
Similarly, Franklin has dropped two of his last four and remains unranked by any major body. “These are not top 10 contenders,” one fan remarked online. “They’re reputation names, not relevant ones.”
The bigger concern is that Itauma’s fast rise is beginning to mirror the “smoke and mirrors” path once taken by fighters like Edgar Berlanga, whose knockout streak against soft opposition quickly unraveled when he finally stepped up in class. “He’s being manufactured into a star without earning it,” said one critic.
Watch Itauma vs. Balogun highlights: Watch
Fighters like Martin Bakole, Efe Ajagba, Agit Kabayel, and Filip Hrgovic have all been mentioned as legitimate development tests - but none appear on Itauma’s shortlist. Bakole was blunt: “Even Frank Warren knows I’m not Itauma’s level.”
With Itauma now holding high positions in both the WBO and WBA rankings, Warren says they can “pull the trigger” when ready - but when will the real tests begin?
Image Credit: The Ring