The O2 Arena hosts one of the most compelling heavyweight matchups of 2026 this Saturday, August 29, as unbeaten 21-year-old Moses Itauma steps up for the biggest test of his young career against the battle-hardened Croatian Filip “El Animal” Hrgovic. The prize: the vacant IBF World Heavyweight Championship — the last major belt to become available following Oleksandr Usyk’s departure from the division. Queensberry Promotions promotes the event, live on DAZN.
| Date | Saturday, August 29, 2026 |
| Venue | O2 Arena, Greenwich, London |
| Promotion | Queensberry Promotions |
| Broadcast | DAZN |
| Title | Vacant IBF World Heavyweight Championship |
| Scheduled Rounds | 12 × 3 minutes |
Moses Itauma (14-0, 14 KOs) was born Enriko Itauma in Kezmarok, Slovakia, in December 2004. He fights out of Chatham, Kent, and represents England. Still only 21, he has not yet gone past five rounds as a professional — a stunning statistic that captures both his explosive power and the questions that remain about his seasoning at the highest level.
Standing 6’4” with a 78.7” reach and fighting as a southpaw, Itauma generates tremendous leverage for his size. He stunned the British boxing public by stopping Dillian Whyte in the first round in August 2025, then despatched Jermaine Franklin in five rounds in March 2026 to claim the EBU European and WBO Inter-Continental titles. Every single professional victory has ended inside the distance.
Frank Warren has guided Itauma’s development carefully, pairing him with progressively stiffer opposition, but Hrgovic — a 2016 Olympic bronze medallist with 102 professional rounds on his ledger — represents a different stratosphere of experience. Itauma has acknowledged the step-up: “Of course it is a step up. A big step up. Hrgovic is my toughest opponent.”
| Date | Opponent | Result | Method | Rnd |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2026 | Jermaine Franklin | W | TKO | R5 |
| Aug 2025 | Dillian Whyte | W | TKO | R1 |
| May 2025 | Mike Balogun | W | TKO | R2 |
| Dec 2024 | Demsey McKean | W | TKO | R1 |
| Jul 2024 | Mariusz Wach | W | TKO | R2 |
Filip “El Animal” Hrgovic (20-1, 15 KOs) is 34 years old, born in Zagreb, Croatia. Standing 6’6” with an 82” reach and fighting orthodox, he is Itauma’s physical superior in terms of wingspan and professional experience. His 102 professional rounds dwarf anything Itauma has encountered; he has navigated genuine world-level competition and emerged with only one loss — a cut stoppage against Daniel Dubois in June 2024 that he considers deeply unfortunate.
Since that defeat, Hrgovic has responded with three convincing wins: a points decision over Joe Joyce, a unanimous decision over David Adeleye, and a third-round corner stoppage of a game Dave Allen in May 2026. He carries serious power at heavyweight and arrives on a three-fight winning streak. His confidence is unmistakable: “I’ve learned when it’s hard to don’t give up, to fight back and to endure everything on my way to the win.”
| Date | Opponent | Result | Method | Rnd |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2026 | Dave Allen | W | TKO | R3 |
| Aug 2025 | David Adeleye | W | UD | — |
| Apr 2025 | Joe Joyce | W | UD | — |
| Jun 2024 | Daniel Dubois | L | TKO (Cut) | R8 |
| Dec 2023 | Mark De Mori | W | TKO | R1 |
| Itauma | Hrgovic | |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 21 | 34 |
| Record | 14-0 | 20-1 |
| KO Rate | 100% | 75% |
| Height | 6’4” / 194 cm | 6’6” / 198 cm |
| Reach | 78.7” / 200 cm | 82.0” / 208 cm |
| Stance | Southpaw | Orthodox |
| Debut | 2017 | 2017 |
| Rounds Fought | 31 | 102 |
This is fundamentally a clash of contrasting boxing philosophies and life stages.
Itauma operates on the front foot, mixing southpaw angles with violent overhand lefts and short right hooks. He feints well for his age, works the body in combination, and finishes opponents at an elite rate. His southpaw stance creates natural problems for orthodox fighters: the left cross from Itauma’s power hand is the most dangerous weapon on the night.
Hrgovic is an intelligent, technically sound heavyweight who uses his jab to control distance, employs a high guard to absorb pressure, and looks for the right-hand counter over the top. At 6’6” with an 8” reach advantage over Itauma, he will attempt to establish space and use the jab as both an offensive and defensive tool. He has studied Itauma’s habits: “His feinting — it’s not going to work with me. I’m going to stick the jab in his face.”
The critical question is whether Hrgovic’s 34-year-old legs and 102 rounds of professional wear can withstand Itauma’s pressure and finishing instincts, or whether his superior experience, reach and ring craft prove decisive before Itauma can land the single shot that ends bouts.
Itauma is a heavy betting favourite, with Hrgovic around 6/1 (700+) on US moneylines and Itauma priced around 1/8 (around -700). The Tapology community gives Itauma 91% support to win by KO/TKO.
It is hard to argue with the market on this one. Itauma’s combination of youth, power and southpaw angles is a nightmare package for any heavyweight, and his recent scalps — particularly the first-round demolition of Whyte — demonstrate genuine elite-level finishing ability. Hrgovic’s reach and IQ will make this more complicated than some expect, and the early rounds will be watchful.
Prediction: Moses Itauma by TKO, rounds 4–7. Hrgovic’s experience keeps it competitive through the early exchanges, but Itauma’s power and southpaw pressure ultimately overwhelm “El Animal” somewhere in the middle rounds.
UK: DAZN — 7pm BST (approx. main event) US: DAZN — 2pm ET / 11am PT (card begins); main event expected approximately 5pm ET
The Itauma–Hrgovic main event is joined by a stacked undercard at the O2:
What title is at stake in Itauma vs Hrgovic? The vacant IBF World Heavyweight Championship. The title was vacated by Oleksandr Usyk following his decision to relinquish three of the four major belts.
Where is Itauma vs Hrgovic taking place? The O2 Arena in Greenwich, London, on Saturday August 29, 2026.
Has Moses Itauma ever gone past five rounds? No. Every one of his 14 professional victories has ended inside the distance, with the longest being his fifth-round stoppage of Jermaine Franklin in March 2026.
What is Filip Hrgovic’s professional record? 20-1. His only defeat was a TKO stoppage due to a cut against IBF World Champion Daniel Dubois in June 2024.
Who won the 2016 Olympic heavyweight boxing silver medal? Filip Hrgovic won the bronze medal in the super-heavyweight division at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Who promotes Moses Itauma vs Filip Hrgovic? Queensberry Promotions, under Frank Warren.
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