“Just a walk in the park that was for Itauma. Him vs Bakole would be a really good fight to make,” Jones said on social media.
Frank Warren was vocal about making Itauma the youngest heavyweight champion ever. A loss to a “boogeyman” like Bakole, who offers high risk but relatively low commercial reward compared to a world title shot, could permanently thwart that historic goal.
It’s a massive leap in terms of both the “bounce back” factor and sheer physical scale for Itauma going up against Bakole. The version of Bakole who showed up in the low 280s to stop Jared Anderson was a mobile, high-volume nightmare.
Even a “heavy” Bakole at 300+ lbs still has a massive 82-inch reach and a booming sting. Unlike Itauma’s previous opponents, Bakole will not be intimidated by the hype. He spent years as the “boogeyman” in sparring sessions with the likes of Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
Bakole has already shown what happens when a rising heavyweight steps up too soon. Jared Anderson went in with momentum and came out to rebuild after their 2024 fight. That result still sits there as a warning.
Itauma is younger and still under construction. Bakole doesn’t fade early, and he doesn’t give opponents time to settle. If Itauma can’t get him out of there, the fight changes quickly.
From a management standpoint, putting a 21-year-old Itauma with a 300-pound veteran who has nothing to lose is a scary prospect. If Bakole appears in form (in those 280s), he probably has the engine to drag Itauma into deep water. If he shows up at 300+, it becomes a sloppy, leaning affair that won’t help Itauma’s development anyway.
This feels like a fight Sam Jones wants for the headliners, but one Frank Warren might steer clear of until Itauma has at least one 10-round “dogfight” under his belt.
