Moses Itauma collides with Filip Hrgovic in a showdown for the vacant IBF heavyweight world title next week, and ahead of the action, former British heavyweight champion David Price has offered his thoughts.
Itauma has been fast-tracked to the peak of the heavyweight division since his professional debut in 2023, rising the rankings without ever fighting beyond round six in his 14 bouts to date and earning his shot at world honours.
Should he be successful against Hrgovic, the 21-year-old will become the second-youngest heavyweight ruler in boxing history, taking Floyd Patterson’s spot behind Mike Tyson, who achieved the feat as a 20-year-old.
Although, on The Smith Brothers’ YouTube channel, Price warned of Hrgovic’s quality, impressed by the Croatian’s three-round beatdown of Dave Allen back in May.
“Dave Allen, he is getting his opportunities, he is a solid heavyweight and he can take a shot. He has had a couple of notable wins but, even so, Hrgovic f***ing battered him, more than I have ever seen anyone batter Dave Allen.
“Every shot was a good bang. He put a lot into every shot and at first I was thinking, ‘is he going to be able to sustain this?’, but he did.”
However, Price went on to declare his belief that Itauma will answer any questions regarding his potential on fight night, expecting the youngster to come out on top after a competitive battle.
“He hasn’t shown any weaknesses but he hasn’t been hit yet properly. That is the reality of it. He hasn’t had a crisis in a fight and until that happens, there will be question marks.
“This fight, I think he will take his licks a little bit and he will answer a lot of the questions that remain.”
Itauma vs. Hrgovic takes place on Saturday, August 29, at the O2 Arena in London.
