LONDON (AP) 鈥� Rising heavyweight star Moses Itauma is set for his toughest challenge when he faces Filip Hrgovic of Croatia on Aug. 29 in London, with a title fight likely for the winner.
The 21-year-old southpaw, who has drawn comparisons to a young Mike Tyson, has been eying a title shot in 2026 and turned more heads in March with his
鈥淭his fight is the litmus test Moses is ready for and it is the one he wanted,鈥� Queensberry promoter Frank Warren said in Friday’s announcement of the bout at The 02. 鈥淔ilip believes it will be too much too soon for the young star.鈥�
Itauma (14-0, 12 KOs) and Hrgovic (21-1, 15 KOs) are first and second, respectively, in the WBO rankings.
in May for the WBO belt, and Wardley has exercised a rematch clause.
The 34-year-old Hrgovic, who won a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, earned a third-round stoppage against British fighter Dave Allen in May. The 6-foot-6 Croatian’s only loss as a pro was to Dubois in 2024.
The 6-foot-2 Itauma turned pro three years ago with a debut KO victory that lasted just 23 seconds. Only twice in his career has he failed to win by stoppage. Both of those were six-round bouts in 2023.
Itauma’s father is Nigerian and his mother is from Slovakia, where Itauma was born. They 鈥� Chatham in Kent 鈥� when he was young.
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