Itauma set to face Hrgović for IBF heavyweight title

Moses Itauma, a British-Nigerian heavyweight fighter, will go up against Filip Hrgović for the vacant IBF heavyweight title on Saturday at the O2 Arena in London. As the fight approaches, tension is building between the two boxers.

Itauma was born in Slovakia to a Nigerian father and a Slovak mother. He moved to Kent as a child and has not lost any of his 14 professional fights, scoring 12 knockouts. This includes a first-round stoppage of former world title challenger Dillian Whyte.

If he wins, Itauma would become the second-youngest heavyweight world champion ever, just behind Mike Tyson, who was 20 when he won his first title. He would also become boxing’s youngest active world champion.

Before the fight, Itauma said Hrgović’s trash talk was starting to annoy him. Hrgović has repeatedly called him a “kid” and said he has limited experience. “I tell myself there’s nothing that this Hrgović guy can do to get in my head, but he’s starting to wind me up,” Itauma explained. He particularly found it irritating when Hrgović joked that he “wakes up and hugs trees.”

Itauma added, “In my mind, if somebody’s trying to get one up on you, or trying to get in your head, it’s because they’re not confident in themselves.” Hrgović continued to provoke Itauma by not including him in his personal top-five list of heavyweights. Hrgović named himself fourth, following Oleksandr Usyk, Daniel Dubois, and Agit Kabayel, with Tyson Fury in fifth.

“Usyk has to be considered the leader, that’s not even up for debate, and behind him are Dubois, Kabayel, me, and Fury. But I should say that I’m capable of beating any of them,” said Hrgović, who won a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Hrgović, with a professional record of 20 wins, one loss, and 15 knockouts, believes his experience will be key in this fight. “I know the boxing world write me off in this fight, like he’s the new Mike Tyson, young kid, young destroyer, but I believe in myself. This is the biggest fight of my life, and it’s in the right moment,” he said. “They hype him a lot. He definitely has talent and big qualities, and he’s a big puncher and quick heavyweight, but definitely it’s much more, in my opinion, than he deserves.”

Despite all the hype, Itauma said the vacant title has not changed his motivation for the fight. “I want to beat him as much as I did before the belt was on the line. Of course, it will be an honour. I’d love to be a world champion, but it’s about Filip Hrgović himself,” he stated.

The fight became a world-title contest after Oleksandr Usyk gave up the IBF belt and Frank Sanchez agreed to step aside. This move quickly brought Itauma into the biggest fight of his career.