Jarrell Miller believes the Moses Itauma hype train could soon come to a halt, backing one of his “homies” to pull off a sizable upset.
While yet to establish himself as a top-flight contender, Itauma has nonetheless shown genuine signs of world-class potential throughout his young career.
The 21-year-old’s last outing saw him dispatch the typically durable Jermaine Franklin in March, scoring a fifth-round finish after flooring his man in round three.
In doing so, the precocious talent has remained unbeaten in 14 professional contests, while also boasting a No.1 ranking with both the WBO and WBA.
Itauma is therefore on the verge of a world-level test, potentially against Filip Hrgovic, who comes off a comfortable third-round stoppage victory over Dave Allen last month.
The 34-year-old is widely considered a top 10 heavyweight, with his only defeat arriving via an eighth-round finish against Daniel Dubois in June 2024.
He hardly disgraced himself against the current WBO champion, either, with ‘El Animal’ proving that he is capable of posing a significant threat to Itauma’s meteoric rise.
In fact, fellow heavyweight Miller has told Play UK that he sees Hrgovic defeating the southpaw if they end up colliding later this year.
“I think Hrgovic is very durable, war-proven. He’s not going to be jumping in and getting caught with dumb s**t. He has a really good jab.
“Let’s see where Itauma really is when he fights a real top-10 contender now, because honestly, out of everybody he’s fought, they’ve kind of laid down a little bit.
“Jermaine Franklin came to bang and gave him some good rounds. I just felt like maybe it wasn’t the best version of him, but let’s see where he goes. I’ve got more of a close relationship with Hrgovic.
“He’s one of my homies. We trained in Florida and sparred plenty of times, so I’ve got to go with the homie. I’ve got to go with Hrgovic whooping Itauma’s young ass.”
Hrgovic remains the frontrunner for Itauma in August, when Queensberry promoter Frank Warren will stage the Brit’s next fight.
