BoxRec

Filip Hrgovic accuses Moses Itauma of his career being handed to him 'on a plate'

Moses Itauma is 14-0 (12 KOs), 21 years old, and presumed the future of the heavyweight division by, well, practically everyone. The fanfare around the prospect is so loud and convincing, in fact, that world-class contender Filip Hrgovic is regarded as little more than a stepping stone when they clash in a Queensberry-promoted 12-rounder at London's O2 Arena on August 29.

Yet Hrgovic, 20-1 (15 KOs), represents a sizeable jump in class for the youngster. The Croatian, unlike Itauma, can boast experience of doing battle with genuine leading heavyweights. He has beaten Zhilei Zhang. He engaged in a rock 'em, sock 'em affair with Daniel Dubois. He's worthy of his position in the top five. Throw in his victories over Joe Joyce, David Adeleye, his 2016 Olympic bronze medal, his recent thrashing of Dave Allen, and it's easy to understand why the 34-year-old is a little miffed to discover he's a 9-to-2 underdog.

"I know why I have been invited here. I have been invited to lose. I understand. [Promoter] allegedly is not going to make as much money from me [as he stands to make with Itauma]," Hrgovic said at Monday's launch press conference in London.

"My job is to stop him from reaching the promised land, from becoming champion, to be the next star.

"He has all the attributes, he has had the promotion since the beginning of his career. Everyone is predicting that he's the next big star. I am here to stop him. I will prove I am too tough, too experienced and too strong.... A lot of guys write me off... But I am coming for the win."

So, he's seen nothing in Itauma's development to impress him?

"Look, I'm not impressed in the way that the whole world is," Hrgovic continued. "I'm a fighter, I look at different angle. Never seen him in trouble, punched, or get dropped. He definitely has skills and speed but to be a great fighter you must have heart, will, chin and endurance. We haven't seen that yet. Maybe he's got all of that but maybe not... I will test to see if he is the real deal... I will beat this guy and [go on to] become the heavyweight champion of the world."

The hype surrounding Itauma has indeed been like nothing we've seen in the heavyweight division since the days of Mike Tyson's rise in the 1980s. There were whispers of the then-teenager toying with seasoned champions long before he turned professional in 2023. His destructions of Demsey McKean, Dillian Whyte and Jermaine Franklin were breathtaking. But McKean, who has also lost to Hrgovic, was never worthy of the sanctioning body rankings he once received; Whyte was years past his best; and Franklin, though known for his durability, had made his name while losing fights.

"He [Itauma] went from winning Youth World Championships, which I won as well, and then in 14 [professional] fights he is a superstar," Hrgovic explained. "It has all been [laid out] on the table [for him]. He didn't sacrifice like I did, I worked much, much harder to get here. He didn't have the same kind of struggle that I went through. I respect my path much more than his. But we will see how good he is.

"He has been given everything on a plate when you compare his path to my path and others from small countries."

Itauma, who was born in Slovakia before being raised in Kent, England, was unruffled by the criticism pointing out that, though the two fighters are separated by 14 years, they are in the same position: Trying to secure a shot at a world title.

"This is a big test, of course," he said. "Filip Hrgovic ain't no mug. He's achieved so much and beaten so many well known guys. Olympic bronze medal. The beautiful thing about my position is I can strip him away from all of that.

"Every fight promises a bit of danger. Hrgovic has proved he can do certain things and, yes, there's question marks about my career. Whatever questions I didn't answer against Jermaine Franklin, I will answer them here.

"You don't get given respect, you earn it," Itauma continued. "Whether he respects me or not, it won't do him any favors if he doesn't on fight night. He doesn't know me or anything about my life.

"The position I'm in wasn't given to me. It doesn't mean anything, the talking can't do the fighting for him. It's not going to change the outcome."

Itauma promises to show Hrgovic why he's heir apparent

Moses Itauma has promised to show Filip Hrgovic exactly why he is seen as the heir to the heavyweight throne when the contenders collide at London’s O2 Arena on August 29.

The 12-round fight will be streamed exclusively on DAZN Pay-Per-View.

A string of impressive finishes have helped 21-year-old Itauma (14-0, 12 KOs) quickly establish himself as the most exciting talent in the heavyweight division but, so far, his reputation has been built against fringe contenders and faded names.
Hrgovic is neither.

At Monday’s launch press conference in London, the 34-year-old Croatian repeatedly questioned the legitimacy of Itauma’s rise.

“I respect all my opponents and all fighters but the way I see it, it’s like he went from winning the Youth World Championship - which I won as well - and in like 10 to 14 fights he become like a superstar,” Hrgovic (20-1, 15 KOs) said.

“I feel like he got it all on the table. He didn't sacrifice a lot for where he is now. I think my path was much harder. Much, much harder.

“I worked so hard to get into this position and I feel like everything what he achieved was given. Of course, he’s working hard. He's training every day, but it's not the same kind of struggle what I went through.

“I respect my path much more than his but we'll see on August 29. How good is he? Maybe he's a real deal. Maybe he's not. We’ll see.”

To Itauma’s credit he has always spoken of his need and desire to face the right men at the right time and answer any questions that hang over his head.

He sits at No. 6 in The Ring rankings and at No. 1 with the WBO and WBA and could have waited for his name to be called but he has actively sought out a fight with Hrgovic as he makes a rapid but considered rise through the heavyweight division.

“Whether he thinks my path is going to be easy or not, it don't do me no favors at the end of the day. He's 14 years older than me and we're still in the same position. He don't know nothing about me to comment on that,” Itauma said.

“At the end of the day, the position I'm in wasn't given to me. I still had to beat and overcome challenges. Even if he's not going to respect me or the path, we should soon find out.”

While he may not agree with Hrgovic’s assessment of his own career, Itauma did acknowledge that the fight represents something of an acid test.

“This is a big test. It's my toughest fight,” he admitted. “Filip Hrgovic ain't no mug. I think the beautiful thing about boxing is that Hrgovic has achieved so much in this sport. He's beaten so many well-known guys in not just British boxing but in boxing in general and he's won an Olympic bronze medal.

“I guess the beautiful thing about my position is I can strip him away from all of that. When it comes to the day, I shall be ready.”

Hrgovic won that Olympic bronze medal back in 2016 and is firmly entrenched at No. 5 in The Ring’s heavyweight rankings.

He also carries himself with an unshakeable confidence and will be the first man Itauma has ever faced who will duck between the ropes with full belief that he is going to win.

Whereas other top contenders have distanced themselves from a fight with Itauma, Hrgovic leapt at the chance to take on a fighter he has repeatedly referred to as “a kid."

“I'm not impressed the way the whole whole world is,” he said.

“I’m a fighter. I look at different angles. I never see him in trouble. I never see him get punched or get dropped. He’s definitely got skills and speed but to be to be great fighter you must have heart, will, chin, endurance and we didn't see that yet.

“Maybe he got all of that but maybe not so I definitely think I will test that. I will test if he is the real deal or not. I believe that I will beat this guy and I'll become a heavyweight champion of the world.”

If Itauma struggles with the burden of expectation that has been placed on his shoulders, he hides it well. He refused to rise to Hrgovic’s jibes and answered in his usual thoughtful manner.

As for what will happen on August 29, he promised to meet Hrgovic’s passion and fire with cool, controlled aggression.

“It’s gonna be an interesting fight,” he said calmly. "It’s where youth meets experience and intelligence meets heart.”

Hrgovic believes he can KO Itauma quickly

Filip Hrgovic won’t cut any corners during his preparation for Moses Itauma.

The Ring's No. 5-rated heavyweight will face No. 6-ranked Itauma at O2 Arena in London on August 29, live on DAZN Pay-Per-View.

On paper, Hrgovic is a slight underdog heading in. However, he believes those odds won't matter once he lands his right hand. If and when he does, even if it's in the first round, he’s convinced the fight will end.

"Of course man, I can knock out a horse," Hrgovic told The Ring when asked if he’s confident about stopping Itauma in the first.

"He starts fast. I don’t start fast, I’m a slow starter but in this fight, I will. I must train to start fast, I want to get into a fight with him, don't want to box too much. I want to get into a fight and see how tough he is."

So far, no one has come close to pushing Itauma (14-0, 12 KOs) to his limits. Even when the competition has risen, as it did against Dillian Whyte and Jermaine Franklin, the results have been two highlight-reel knockouts.

When it comes to talent, Hrgovic (20-1, 15 KOs) would be a fool to deny what Itauma has in his locker. The 21-year-old is fast, strong, and hits like a truck. With that said, however, he hasn't been faced with the kind of hardships that Hrgovic has.
"I had 10 times a harder path," Hrgovic said.

"I'm not saying that he's not working hard. He's training hard like every athlete in the world twice a day but it's different when you're coming from a small country. Nobody sees a big opportunity to make a lot of money off you. That makes a difference in promotion and managing. When he went from amateurs to professional, everything was on the table for him. He just needed to train and win, he did that and now he's like a superstar in 14 fights."

That superstar status at such a young age is now backfiring, according to the Croatian veteran. Itauma, despite his relative freshness in the professional game, has said previously he's growing tired of the sport.

Those comments have baffled the 34-year-old, who believes they are evidence Itauma isn't made of the right stuff to last at the top.

"It's all about your mentality and your lifestyle," the longtime contender said.

"It's important and gives me belief in myself. That was always my power. My lifestyle, character, discipline, courage, my will ... I had a lot of wins, not just in the ring but outside it. Nothing could stop me, it's not for no reason that I'm here on top of the division."

Itauma-Hrgovic 'has all the ingredients' to be special, says Warren

With The Ring's heavyweight champion, Oleksandr Usyk, nearing the end of his incredible career and Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder all plotting routes to the finishing line, Moses Itauma is widely regarded as the glamour division's next star.

So far, Itauma (14-0, 12 KOs) has looked every inch the future champion but on August 29, the 21-year-old from Kent will face the sternest examination yet of his credentials when he takes on the experienced, dangerous and extremely confident Filip Hrgovic (20-1, 15 KOs).

Itauma and his team initially targeted a fight with the 34-year-old Croatian late last year and he made point of calling Hrgovic’s name after his impressive fifth-round stoppage of Jermaine Franklin in March.

The Ring’s No. 6-ranked heavyweight now gets his wish. The two will meet at London’s O2 Arena in a fight that will go a long way to setting the future course of the heavyweight division.

Frank~Warren promotes both fighters and he knows just how big a task Itauma faces.

“Well, it's a big step up for him. He's still 21 and he's going in with a guy that a lot of people have avoided over the years, Hrgovic, who's a tough guy,” Warren said during DAZN’s broadcast of Ryan Garner’s victory over Michael Magnesi on Saturday.

“He can punch. He's never been knocked out and this is going to be a telling moment for him.”

Much of the build-up will focus on how Itauma handles the toughest test of his still young career but Hrgovic himself was once touted as the future of the heavyweight division.

After claiming a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics, it was assumed that he would quickly work his way up the heavyweight rankings and compete with the likes of Joshua, Fury and Wilder.

Hrgovic, ranked at No. 5 by The Ring, has shown flashes of his undoubted ability over the past decade but he has also flattered to deceive.

He has reeled off three consecutive wins since cuts brought an early end to a June 2024 fight with Daniel Dubois and while Hrgovic isn’t the type of character to lose faith in his own ability, there is a definite feeling that he goes into a fight with Itauma with a renewed sense of momentum.

While others have edged quietly away from the challenge of facing the young prodigy, Hrgovic ran towards it.
“It's a fight that I'm looking forward to because I think it will be a really good quality fight,” Warren said.

“He fancies it, Hrgovic, and you've got to take your hat off to him. He's putting it all on the line against the young star of today and maybe the biggest star tomorrow.

“This is a tough, tough fight for both of them and there's a lot on the line and, for me, that has all the ingredients to make is something extra, extra special and exciting.”