IBF Heavyweight title fight: Itauma ‘ll stop Hrgovic before round 7 – Oboh
By Jacob Ajom
Nigerian-born British boxer Moses Itauma will be taking on Croatian boxer Filip Hrgovic tomorrow for the vacant IBF heavyweight title at the O2 Arena in London, with a piece of history on the line.
If Itauma wins the life changing bout, he will become the youngest world heavyweight champion since Mike Tyson, who broke the record 40 years ago.
Itauma will be entering Saturday night’s fight full of confidence, with a proud record of 14-0(12 KOs).
His opponent, Hrgovic is a seasoned orthodox heavyweight boxer who has lost just once in his career. Since he was bloodied by Daniel Dubois in 2024, the Croatian has beaten three Britons in a row. The question now is, will Itauma be the fourth?
Former British and Commonwealth Light heavyweight champion, Peter Oboh said Hrgovic, whom he knows very little about, will fall to the youthful Itauma’s power-packed punches. “He will fall before the 7th round. That is the farthest he can go,” Oboh predicted confidently.
“Like me, Itauma is a southpaw and that makes him the more dangerous. He punches very hard and he has a lion’s heart; very brave for his age and with a lot of confidence. Many fighters lose their fights even before the first punch is thrown at them because of lack of confidence.
“That is what Itauma uses to his advantage. Most of his opponents have fallen at his feet because they lacked confidence. Great fighters never show respect to their opponents. They boast and talk like champions. You may have respect for your opponent but don’t show it openly,” he said.
“What I don’t know is whether Itauma can take the pressure and absorb punches because his opponent is orthodox.
“For Itauma’s limited experience will have nothing to do with the outcome of the fight. Leon Spinks had seven fights, he won 6 and drew one but was able to beat Mohammed Ali, although Ali had gone past his peak. Itauma has a 14-0 record. He can leverage on that and give his opponent the beating of his life.” He added that the Nigerian must approach the fight in his stride. “It’s not different like the ones he has been winning. He should fight his normal fight. That way, he can win without pressure.”
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