Moses Itauma headlines in London this weekend as he takes on Filip Hrgovic for the vacant IBF world heavyweight title, a win crowning him the division’s second-youngest champion in history.
The 21-year-old has built a reputation as a future long-term ruler in boxing’s top weight class, but must prove it in the ring on Saturday against his first truly world-level assignment.
Hrgovic believes he will ‘stop the hype’ with a knockout, and is coming off the back of a third-round stoppage of Dave Allen in May.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, with that defeat still fresh in his mind, Allen said that he feels Hrgovic should not be considered as much of an underdog. Still, he is backing Itauma to score yet another quick knockout.
“I’m going to go for the fight to be over inside three, and I’d imagine it’ll be Itauma, but Hrgovic, he ain’t coming to make up the numbers. So [it’s] very interesting. I think Hrgovic is very underestimated in this one. I have to go with Itauma, but the odds did surprise me.”
Hrgovic has lost just once in his professional campaign against Daniel Dubois. Though it was a stoppage, it was due to severe cuts, and Hrgovic was arguably winning the fight prior to that.
Should Itauma finish the Croatian heavyweight in the traditional manner, particularly inside nine minutes, there will be absolutely no doubt he is one of the very best in the division.
