After knocking out Jermaine Franklin, Moses Itauma made it clear what his ideal next fight would be. Now, the man that he wanted to face has responded, seeming unimpressed by the meteoric rise of the 21-year-old sensation.
Itauma dispatched of Franklin in round five of their Co-op Live clash, delivering a sensational rear uppercut that has since gone viral and become the latest addition to his already impresssive highlight reel.
Following the fight, promoter Frank Warren unveiled that Itauma will fight on two more occasions this year, next appearing in July before a heavyweight world title challenge towards the end of the calendar – likely against Murat Gassiev.
Itauma revealed that he has wanted to fight Filip Hrgovic next but that the Croatian’s announcement of a fight with Dave Allen has scuppered those plans.
Speaking to Seconds Out, Hrgovic responded to Itauma’s desire to fight him, believing that the youngster has been overhyped and that he has not yet faced an opponent who ‘fights back’.
“Right now, I don’t believe that he is so good because he has never been in trouble. He has never really received a good punch, so we will see.
“It is one thing to have good skills and to be a good boxer and it is another to be a warrior. You either have that or you don’t have that. You can’t teach that, you can’t learn that – to be a warrior, to have a heart, to have a chin, to go down and come back and continue to fight.
“We will see. Maybe he is the next great and maybe he is just a hype job. He did an amazing job for right now, but he has never received a real punch and he has never fought anyone who fights back. I believe that I can beat him.”
Allen-Hrgovic takes place on Saturday, May 16, in Doncaster – a short turnaround for Itauma’s next date, making it unlikely. However, Hrgovic has revealed that Itauma is one of a few names in his contract, meaning they could meet towards the end of the year.
