Having experienced the full force of a Filip Hrgovic stoppage, Dave Allen has offered his thoughts on the Croatian’s IBF title clash with Moses Itauma.
The pair will collide for the vacant belt, which was relinquished by Oleksandr Usyk, on August 29, headlining a Queensberry show at London’s O2 Arena.
As per a step-aside agreement, the winner must defend their world title against Frank Sanchez, who became the IBF mandatory challenger with a second-round finish over Richard Torrez in May.
Regarding the fight itself, though, it must be said that Itauma is set to encounter his stiffest test thus far.
Up to this point, the 21-year-old has shown signs of generational talent but against mostly limited opposition, with his best win coming via a fifth-round stoppage of Jermaine Franklin in March.
Hrgovic, on the other hand, is a seasoned veteran who arguably produced his most impressive performance against Daniel Dubois, only to be stopped on cuts in round eight of their 2024 contest.
Most recently, the 34-year-old scored a third-round finish over Allen in May, yet his former opponent is nonetheless backing Itauma to get the job done later this month.
“I think it’s a great fight for Itauma – it [should give us] an idea of how good he really is. I think it’s by far the hardest fight of his career.
“[But] I think Itauma wins. I think he’s too fast, too sharp for Hrgovic. A bit too fresh. I think he’ll stop Hrgovic. I think he’ll cut him early. I don’t think it’ll last that long, actually.
“In terms of the title, Hrgovic has been high in the rankings for a long time. Itauma’s beaten Franklin and Dillian Whyte. Does that deserve a world title fight? Maybe not, but he could be the next big thing.”
If Itauma emerges victorious in London, he will become the youngest world heavyweight champion since Mike Tyson, who was just 20 years old when he defeated Trevor Berbick in 1986.
