Moses Itauma fights Filip Hrgovic in London this weekend as he looks to become boxing's youngest world heavyweight champion since Mike Tyson. The rapidly-ascending British southpaw star faces the biggest test of his career so far at the O2 Arena as he competes for the IBF title vacated when former undisputed king Oleksandr Usyk relinquished all of his belts earlier this summer in preparation for one "last dance".
Heavyweight History in Reach
Victory over Hrgovic would see Chatham's Itauma, who turns 22 in December, become the second current British heavyweight champion and youngest ever, with Daniel Dubois having claimed back the WBO belt with an incredible late knockout of Fabio Wardley in May. He would be the second-youngest ever title-holder in the sport's glamour division and youngest since a then 20-year-old Tyson dethroned WBC champion Trevor Berbick in Las Vegas in November 1986 with a second-round knockout en route to undisputed superstardom.
Cuba's Frank Sanchez had been first in line for the IBF belt after knocking out Richard Torres Jr on the undercard of Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven in Egypt in May, but accepted a lucrative offer to step aside and is in line to face the winner of Itauma vs Hrgovic instead.
Fight Details and Undercard
Moses Itauma vs Filip Hrgovic: Natural Born Thriller for the vacant IBF world heavyweight title takes place on Saturday August 29, 2026 at the O2 Arena in London. Itauma and Hrgovic are expected to make their respective ring walks at around 10.30pm BST for Saturday night's main event. That is 5:30pm ET and 2:30pm PT in the United States. The main fight card begins at 7pm BST, 2pm ET and 11am PT, with a number of earlier undercard bouts on the afternoon schedule.
TV channel and live stream: Itauma vs Hrgovic is available to watch live and exclusively in the UK via DAZN pay-per-view and DAZN Ultimate, at a cost of £24.99 - with an eight-day free trial of DAZN included. Those who have purchased the event can watch it live on the DAZN website and app.
Undercard: Moses Itauma vs Filip Hrgovic, Sam Noakes vs Denys Berinchyk, Nelson Hysa vs Thomas Narmo, Constantin Ursu vs Ben Vaughan, Guido Vianello vs Moses Jolly, Aloys Junior vs Sherif Musah, Tony Curtis vs Imad Naseeb, Abnor Jashari vs Numan Hussain, Frankie Wood vs Callum Lee, Sam King vs Jack Swallow, Zayn Ahmed vs Liam Fitzmaurice, Hassan Ishaq vs Enzo Bahiano Munoz.
Prediction and Weigh-In Drama
A long-time feature in the top 10 of the heavyweight ranks, Hrgovic is unquestionably the best opponent on paper that the formidable Itauma has faced so far. The Croatian is a skilful and wily operator and certainly packs a punch of his own, though he can often flatter to deceive and perform frustratingly below both expectations and his talent level. A quick stoppage of Allen is unlikely to have done much to prepare Hrgovic for the huge dangers that lurk on Saturday night, while the nasty cuts that keep opening since that loss to Dubois will be an obvious concern again.
The confident Itauma is a clear favourite who will not be fazed one iota by the pressure and the grand occasion as he seeks to become the youngest-ever British heavyweight champion. We think he will have far too much for Hrgovic here, making another brutal statement on the biggest night of his life. Itauma to win by knockout.
Sparks flew at Friday's tense and dramatic ceremonial weigh-in held at Spitalfields Market, with Itauma initially shoving Hrgovic off the stage after an angry face-off and exchange of words, with his rival then quickly responding with a slap as tempers flared and the duo were separated by security. Itauma had earlier tipped the scales at 241.7lbs, while Hrgovic came in as the lighter man at 236.2lbs.
Latest Odds
Itauma to win: 1/10. Hrgovic to win: 6/1. Draw: 33/1. Itauma to win on points/by decision: 9/2. Itauma to win by knockout, technical knockout or disqualification: 3/10. Hrgovic to win on points/by decision: 14/1. Hrgovic to win by knockout, technical knockout or disqualification: 17/2. Odds via UK betting sites (subject to change).
