Moses Itauma has been offered a beeline towards world honours, but first he must take care of business against top 10 heavyweight Filip Hrgovic.
The pair will collide at London’s O2 Arena on August 29, with many expecting this to be the youngster’s toughest assignment thus far.
Hrgovic is, after all, an Olympic bronze medallist and consensus world-level contender, whose only defeat came against Daniel Dubois in June 2024.
Back then, the Croatian gave a terrific account of himself but was ultimately stopped in round eight after sustaining severe cuts over both his eyes.
Itauma is therefore set to encounter a genuine acid test next month, determining whether he is truly capable of swimming with sharks.
If he emerges victorious, though, then the 21-year-old will more than likely secure a world title shot, possibly against IBF mandatory challenger Frank Sanchez.
The pair have already been ordered to collide for Oleksandr Usyk’s old belt but, alternatively, Itauma could easily end up challenging WBA champion Murat Gassiev.
While he was supposed to face Tony Yoka last weekend, Gassiev instead defended his title against late replacement Peter Kadiru, who he handily defeated in six rounds.
Then, during the Russian’s post-fight interview, promoter Al Siesta began calling out several high-profile heavyweights, including Itauma, who was previously in early talks for a clash with the former unified cruiserweight champion.
“Daniel Dubois, Moses Itauma, Agit Kabayel … [Gassiev] is the guy. We’re coming for you very soon!”
As the WBA’s No.1 contender, Itauma could either face Gassiev or pursue a vacant IBF title shot against Sanchez, depending on which direction his team is leaning towards.
