When Moses Itauma and Filip Hrgovic face off on Saturday (August 29) in London for the vacant IBF heavyweight world title, the last remaining title from the Usyk era will be awarded.
On Saturday (August 29), the heavyweight showdown between Moses Itauma and Filip Hrgovic will take place. At London’s O2 Arena, the two rivals will battle for the vacant IBF title. Itauma could even make boxing history. With a win, the 21-year-old British rising star would become the youngest heavyweight world champion since Mike Tyson.
A Top Talent—But Not Infallible
After just 14 professional fights (all wins, 12 by knockout), Itauma has the chance to become champion for the first time. The undefeated British fighter is considered by many experts to be the most exciting heavyweight prospect of his generation. With his explosive style, athleticism, and an impressive knockout rate, Itauma has worked his way up to the top of the world heavyweight division in no time.
But no boxer is completely infallible, no matter how talented he may be. So Itauma also has flaws and weaknesses that he and his coaching team—Ben Davison and Lee Wylie—constantly try to correct. This includes his pursuit of perfection. “To be honest, that’s actually one of my problems,” Itauma admits to “The Ring.” “Ben and Lee keep telling me that my problem is that I let myself get frustrated too often. If I miss a chance or something like that, I tend to be hard on myself right away. But I’m working on it. It’s just because I’m a perfectionist.”
More Than Just a Battle for the World Championship
At the very least, it’s unlikely that everything will go perfectly when Itauma steps into the ring against Filip Hrgovic (20-1, 15 KOs) on Saturday. The 34-year-old has long been considered one of the world’s top heavyweights and has won his last three bouts against Joe Joyce, David Adeleye, and David Allen.
For Itauma, Hrgovic is definitely the toughest challenge of his career so far. Especially since, for the Croatian—whose ring name is “Ekl Animal”—far more than just a title is at stake: it’s about establishing himself at the top of a heavyweight generation that is preparing for the era after superstar Oleksandr Usyk.
The bout for the IBF title will be broadcast by DAZN on Saturday (August 29). The sports streaming service will begin live coverage of the fight card at 7:30 p.m. Uli Hebel, Andreas Selak, and boxing expert Bernd Bönte will provide commentary.
Text: Frank Schwantes