Moses Itauma continued his impressive rise in the heavyweight division with a devastating second-round knockout of Mike Balogun at the OVO Hydro in Scotland, successfully retaining his WBA International and WBO Inter-Continental heavyweight titles, Bold Sports reports.
The 20-year-old southpaw came out firing from the opening bell, dropping Balogun in the first round with a thunderous left hand to the head. Although Balogun beat the count and bravely continued, the writing was already on the wall.
Just 10 seconds into the second round, Itauma sent Balogun crashing to the canvas again with a vicious right hand. The 41-year-old American managed to get back to his feet once more, but at 2:20 of the round, Itauma delivered the final blow, prompting the referee to wave off the contest.
The victory marks Itauma’s 13th consecutive win, with 11 of those coming by knockout. Balogun, meanwhile, suffers just the second defeat of his professional career, now standing at 21 wins (16 by KO) and 2 losses from 23 fights.
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Speaking after the bout, Itauma praised Balogun for his resilience and fighting spirit, “He’s a tough cookie, man,” Itauma said.
“Honestly, after that second knockdown, I thought, ‘Nah, he’s not getting up.’ But he did—and I was catching him clean. Even after the second one, I turned around and he was still trying to rise. Fair play to that man. He’s one tough cookie.”
Reflecting on the pressure and expectations surrounding his career, the boxer of Nigerian descent acknowledged the opportunity this fight represented for Balogun.
“With all these expectations on me, I knew this was his shot at the big time. I didn’t want to open that door for him—you get what I mean? So I had to shut it quickly.”
“I appreciate Mike Balogun for stepping up and taking this fight. Not many would.”
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