Moses Itauma is set for his toughest test yet, according to boxingscene.com. The 21-year-old heavyweight has looked almost unstoppable in his 14 professional contests, stopping 12 opponents inside the distance, and he has yet to go past six rounds. Itauma scored his most impressive victory last time out, a brutal fifth-round finish of Jermaine Franklin in March.
Next Opponent Confirmed
That victory led to calls for a sterner opponent for young Itauma, with his promoter Frank Warren of Queensberry Promotions declaring a top 10 opponent would be next. The man Warren has selected is the tough Croatian Filip Hrgovic, who holds a record of 20-1 with 15 knockouts. Hrgovic last fought in May, breezing through the overmatched Dave Allen inside three rounds.
Hrgovic's Experience
Hrgovic is seen as a fighter who will finally take Itauma into the later rounds, aiming to answer questions over his durability and fitness. Hrgovic has only been dropped once, in the opening round of his 2022 victory over Zhilei Zhang, and he has been stopped once, on cuts, by Daniel Dubois in 2024.
BoxingScene reported earlier this month that the originally planned date for Itauma-Hrgovic was August 8. However, Sky Sports is now reporting that the fight will take place on August 29 at London's O2 Arena, with a press conference to make it official possibly happening next week.
The clash represents Itauma's first time headlining at the O2, where heavyweights such as Anthony Joshua, Dillian Whyte, and Joe Joyce have enjoyed successful nights. The likes of Moses Itauma, David Adeleye, and Lawrence Okolie all watched the event live.
