Having felt the full force of a Filip Hrgovic stoppage, Dave Allen has offered his take on how the Croatian may fare against rising heavyweight star Moses Itauma.
Against Allen, it was strictly one-way traffic as Hrgovic secured a third-round finish earlier this month, headlining a Queensberry Promotions card in Doncaster.
This was his first fight since inking a new deal with Frank Warren’s promotional outfit, who re-signed the 33-year-old after he expressed interest in joining Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing earlier this year.
The plan now, it seems, is for Hrgovic to face Itauma, who is widely considered to be Warren’s jewel in the crown.
While not quite proven at world level, the 21-year-old is nonetheless coming off an emphatic fifth-round stoppage over the typically durable Jermaine Franklin in March.
Against this standard of opponent, Itauma’s speed represents a particular advantage, allowing him to explode into range from a multitude of angles.
Hrgovic, however, is a more seasoned and perhaps skilful contender than Franklin, easily a top 10 heavyweight whose only defeat came against Daniel Dubois – via an eighth-round stoppage on cuts – in 2024.
Despite Itauma’s comparatively meagre professional experience, the Queensberry ace is nonetheless being steered towards a Hrgovic test later this year, quite possibly on August 8.
Speaking on his YouTube channel about their potential clash, heavyweight veteran Allen said Itauma’s speed could make up for a lack of such experience.
“I think Itauma might be too fast for him, just too fast. But you have to be a good one to beat [Hrgovic]. He’s very good – better than I thought.”
While August 8 has been mooted as a likely date for Itauma’s next outing, Hrgovic could prefer for it to be pushed back by a few weeks, given that he only faced Allen earlier this month.
