Bellew rips Itauma and Azim matchmaking: 'He learned nothing'

Former cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew and Boxxer promoter Ben Shalom clashed over the recent matchmaking for prospects Moses Itauma and Adam Azim, with Bellew arguing the pair's latest opponents offered no developmental value.

Bellew, speaking on the Fight Your Corner podcast, questioned why the 21-year-old Itauma faced Jermaine Franklin and why Azim met Steve Claggett, calling both pairings predictable mismatches. "(Itauma) ain't learning nothing by teeing off on a heavy bag," Bellew said, per Bad Left Hook. "And Adam Azim's not gonna learn nothing — he learned nothing in that Claggett fight." Itauma stopped Franklin in five rounds March 28, while Azim halted Claggett in three May 30.

Shalom defends building process for young stars

Shalom countered that both fighters remain early in their careers and still require reps to develop their commercial appeal alongside ring skills. "No one wants to be a world champion and not draw, not have the numbers and not have the tickets," he told Bellew. "So you do, as a promoter, have to think, commercially, when he fights for that title, which is now imminent, he's at a place where he's going to really sell." Shalom pushed back on the notion that Claggett was a soft touch, noting the Canadian had not been stopped in over a decade before Azim dismantled him.

Bellew pressed Shalom on the comparison between Itauma and Azim, asking if the latter truly had pound-for-pound potential. When Shalom answered yes, Bellew doubled down: "If you're good enough, you're ready." The former world champ acknowledged the value of training camps and execution but maintained that neither Itauma nor Azim gained meaningful experience from one-sided wins over shopworn veterans.

Both Itauma and Azim are expected to challenge for world titles within the next 12 months, with Shalom's promotional timeline hinging on maximising their drawing power before stepping into championship-level fights.

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• Bad Left Hook — ‘He learned nothing’: Tony Bellew and Ben Shalom debate matchmaking for Moses Itauma and Adam Azim