{"id":874165,"date":"2026-08-28T05:20:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T05:20:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/874165\/"},"modified":"2026-08-28T05:20:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T05:20:12","slug":"can-moses-itauma-be-the-new-face-of-heavyweight-boxing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/874165\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Moses Itauma be the new face of heavyweight boxing?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Moses Itauma stands on the brink of history.<\/p>\n

Aged 21, he is preparing to fight 34-year-old Croatian Filip Hrgovic for the IBF world heavyweight title. Victory would make him the youngest heavyweight to claim a world belt since Mike Tyson.<\/p>\n

So, presumably, this is the dream?<\/p>\n

\u201cI know how Frank would want me to answer this,\u201d Itauma says, smiling.<\/p>\n

Frank Warren, Itauma\u2019s wily promoter, is listening intently.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut if I\u2019m completely honest, for me, the journey is the destination. I just like being a boxer. I like the discipline it gives you. I like routine. There are so many upsides to being a boxer and I just like that.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt just happens that I\u2019m getting good and I\u2019m getting to the title. Would I say it\u2019s my dream? I don\u2019t know. I just know that I like being a boxer.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is a typically understated response from a young man on the cusp of an extraordinary feat.<\/p>\n

Itauma faces Hrgovic on Saturday night at London\u2019s O2 Arena \u2014 also live on DAZN pay-per-view \u2014 with an opportunity to become the second youngest world heavyweight champion ever. Itauma might not be motivated by making history, but his talent has propelled him rapidly towards it.<\/p>\n

While the rest of boxing seems in a hurry to herald Itauma as the new face of the heavyweight division \u2014 one which is in need of new blood<\/a> \u2014 the fighter himself is focused purely on his craft.<\/p>\n

Unsurprisingly, Warren is more comfortable placing the fight in context.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a significant fight for British boxing, for British sport and, more importantly, for Moses,\u201d he tells The Athletic.<\/p>\n

The match with Hrgovic was initially made without a championship attached. Warren saw the Croatian as precisely the sort of opponent Itauma needed at this stage in his career: experienced, accomplished and capable of asking questions previous opponents had not. It would be, he says, \u201ca tough fight, a learning fight.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Moses Itauma faces up to Filip Hrgovic, with Frank Warren watching on (James Fearn\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

But when Oleksandr Usyk\u2019s abdication created the chance to turn this into a world-title contest, Warren and his promotions company Queensberry jumped at the opportunity.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve done that for a reason, because we believe in Moses. And I know he believes in himself.\u201d<\/p>\n

When the world title was added to the mix, Itauma was typically unflustered.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe hunger to beat Hrgovic was there before it was even announced as a world-title fight,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m just as hungry as I was before. The world title is a bonus.\u201d<\/p>\n

This fight comes at an intriguing moment for heavyweight boxing. The names that once dominated the division \u2014 the likes Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder \u2014 are in the twilight of their careers. A younger generation is poised to take over.<\/p>\n

Warren believes Itauma can be the best of that new generation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf he comes through this fight, as I hope and believe he will, then he will be,\u201d he says. \u201cThere are some other youngsters around there. There are some really good fighters. But anybody I speak to in boxing \u2014 and I speak to a lot of people around the world \u2014 Moses is the name on their lips.\u201d<\/p>\n

Itauma fights under a British flag, but his father is Nigerian and his mother Slovakian (he was born in the town of Kezmarok in eastern Slovakia). He is not yet a household name. Beat Hrgovic, and that could change.<\/p>\n

Becoming a champion is one thing. Becoming the face of heavyweight boxing is another. It requires not only winning fights but accepting everything that comes with them: attention, scrutiny, expectation and fame.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that\u2019s one thing where I\u2019m still learning on the job,\u201d says Itauma. \u201cI\u2019ve been boxing since I was nine years old, so I know a thing or two about boxing, but everything outside the ring is still new to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Itauma acknowledges that facing Hrgovic constitutes a step up. As an amateur, Hrgovic was a bronze medallist in the 2016 Olympics and won gold at the 2015 European Championships. His professional record includes wins over Zhilei Zhang and Eric Molina.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s had a very successful career, he\u2019s achieved what he\u2019s achieved,\u201d says Itauma. \u201cOf course he\u2019s the toughest (opponent) to date. But I have confidence in my ability.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the build-up to the fight, Hrgovic has been aggrieved at the suggestion he is simply there to facilitate the continued ascent of British boxing\u2019s latest heavyweight hope.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like he is a bit of an excuse-maker,\u201d retorts Itauma. \u201cHe\u2019s not been brought in to lose. He\u2019s been brought in to fight me. I\u2019ll do my job and knock him out. I just hope when I do beat him, I get some props.\u201d<\/p>\n

Itauma might not be moved by history, but he does seem to want wider recognition for his abilities. Warren believes Saturday can provide it.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy job is about timing,\u201d Warren says. \u201cThe best punches are the best-timed punches and the best matchmaker is the best-timed matchmaker. We hope we\u2019ve got it right, but Moses wanted this fight and his team wanted this fight. This wasn\u2019t a hard sell from us. He said: \u2018That\u2019s what I want.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Moses Itauma lands a punch on Jermaine Franklin Jr in March (Alex Livesey\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

If Itauma can get beyond Hrgovic, the possibilities multiply. Warren points to the depth of British heavyweight boxing and potential future fights pitting Itauma against fellow Queensbury fighters Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho\u2019s going to come out at the end of it carrying the banner?\u201d Warren asks. \u201cWho\u2019s going to be the guy with the four belts? We\u2019ll see in time.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I believe this young man will stake his claim on Saturday night to be right up there. He\u2019s a bloody good fighter, he\u2019s a good person and boxing is a tough business. I really, really want this to work for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both Itauma and Warren are Arsenal supporters. Asked about the possibility of becoming heavyweight champion in the same year Arsenal have already won the Premier League, Itauma cracks a smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, man,\u201d he grins. \u201cNow that sounds like a dream.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then there is the Emirates Stadium. For Warren, staging a major fight at Arsenal\u2019s home, where he has an executive box, is a lifelong ambition that remains unfulfilled.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, it is a dream,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m an old geezer. I\u2019ve done all the important stadiums. I was at Highbury (Arsenal\u2019s former stadium) as a kid when Muhammad Ali fought Henry Cooper. I\u2019ve never put a fight on there and that\u2019s a dream for me. Moses can make my dream come true.\u201d<\/p>\n

Itauma laughs.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrank Warren\u2019s making me sound like I\u2019m a genie. I\u2019m going to grant his wishes.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Saturday, Warren hopes Itauma will become world champion. Beyond that lies the possibility of becoming the defining heavyweight of his generation \u2014 and, perhaps one day, walking out in front of tens of thousands at the home of the football club they both adore.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am determined it\u2019s going to happen,\u201d insists Warren. \u201cI want Moses to follow in Ali\u2019s footsteps and fight at The Arsenal.\u201d<\/p>\n

The promoter can\u2019t help but dream of the future. Itauma, for now, seems content simply being a boxer.<\/p>\n

Win on Saturday night, and it may become considerably harder to remain just that.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Moses Itauma stands on the brink of history. Aged 21, he is preparing to fight 34-year-old Croatian Filip…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":874166,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[447],"tags":[703,49,48,9045,82,575],"class_list":["post-874165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-boxing","tag-boxing","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-global-sports","tag-sports","tag-sports-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/874165","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=874165"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/874165\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/874166"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=874165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=874165"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=874165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}