Frank Warren has promised a reputable opponent for Moses Itauma’s comeback fight, while Filip Hrgovic is also expected to defend his title early next year.
The pair delivered a thrilling spectacle in August, with Itauma attempting to become the youngest world heavyweight champion since Mike Tyson dethroned Trevor Berbick.
Yet despite dominating the first eight rounds, the 21-year-old ran out of gas and Hrgovic, being a vastly experienced operator, managed to score a dramatic ninth-round stoppage.
As a result, he claimed the vacant IBF title and is now set to face fellow 34-year-old Frank Sanchez, who became the sanctioning body’s mandatory challenger following his second-round finish over Richard Torrez Jr in May.
And while Hrgovic would have preferred a unification match against Daniel Dubois, for instance, the Croatian is at least expected to face Sanchez on home soil in Zagreb.
As for Itauma, Queensberry boss Warren has told BoxNation that an announcement for his next fight is also imminent.
“We will be announcing, hopefully in the next week, Daniel Dubois’ defence of his title and Moses’ comeback date. And hopefully we’ll be in a position where we can say what the date for Filip Hrgovic’s fight will be.”
[Itauma will face] a top ten ranked fighter. [The Hrgovic rematch] is what he’d like. He asked for that immediately. It’d be a big event, there’s no doubt about it, it sold out last time … But, first of all, he’s got to re-establish himself and Filip’s got to get rid of his mandatory against Sanchez.”
A rematch between Itauma and Hrgovic could make sense in 2027, depending on whether they win their respective next fights and are financially incentivised to run it back.
