Josh Taylor comes into his fight against Ekow Essuman tonight with much doubt about his future in their 12-round welterweight headliner at the SSE Hydro Arena in Glasgow, Scotland.
The heavily hyped heavyweight Moses Itauma (12-0, 10 KOs) made easy work of journeyman Mike Balogun (21-2, 16 KOs), knocking him out in the second round. Itauma flattened Balogun with a right hook to the head, sending him down flat on his back in the second round. Referee John Latham then waived it off at 0:45 of the round.
This was the second knockdown of the round and the third in the fight. The 20-year-old Itauma had dropped the 36-year-old Balogun with a similar right hand in the first round and the opening seconds of round two. Balogun had some success, bum rushing the short 6’2″ Itauma, catching him with heavy shots, but the 254-lb prospect took them well.
All Results:
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Moses Itauma def. Mike Balogun via second-round TKO
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Reese Lynch def. Jonatas Rodrigo Gomes de Oliveria via second-round KO
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Aloys Junior def. David Jamieson via third-round KO
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Aston Brown def. Reece Porter via first-round TKO
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Alex Arthur def. Robbie Chapman via points (40-36)
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Drew Limond def. Ezequiel Gregores via points (40-36)
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Luke McCormack def. Samir Cuentas via second-round TKO
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Lee Welsh def. Tony Morton via first-round TKO
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Luke Bibby def. Cesar Ignacio Paredes via points (40-36)