Moses Itauma recalls one sparring session where a former opponent \u201ccame for revenge\u201d and attempted to take his head off.<\/p>\n
While the 21-year-old has won most of his professional contests in double-quick fashion, it seems he is rarely afforded any such luxury in the gym.<\/p>\n
In fact, Itauma insists his training camp is often tougher than the fight itself, which seemingly proved to be the case for his last outing.<\/p>\n
While Jermaine Franklin offered some resistance, he was nonetheless dropped twice and ultimately stopped in round five<\/a> of their heavyweight encounter in March.<\/p>\n Seeking a greater challenge, Itauma is now gearing up to face Filip Hrgovic, an Olympic bronze medallist and top 10 heavyweight, at London\u2019s O2 Arena on August 29.<\/p>\n As always, the quality of his sparring will represent a critical factor, just as it was ahead of his August 2025 contest with Dillian Whyte.<\/p>\n While their fight ended in a one-round blowout, Itauma had come prepared for a gruelling affair after sharing hard rounds with Polish veteran Mariusz Wach.<\/p>\n Speaking with DAZN, Itauma revealed his suspicion \u2018The Viking\u2019 undertook a revenge mission after suffering a second-round stoppage defeat to the talented prodigy in 2024.<\/p>\n \u201cFor the Dillian Whyte fight I had Mariusz Wach in [camp]. He didn\u2019t even ask how much I was going to pay him; he didn\u2019t even ask where he was going to stay. That guy just came for revenge.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d done six rounds with two sparring partners, then Mariusz Wach jumped in and this guy was trying to take my head off.\u201d<\/p>\n Moses Itauma really has former opponents coming back for sparring, not asking the fee & wanting revenge \ud83d\ude02#ItaumaHrgovic<\/a> | Aug 29 | Watch only on DAZN pic.twitter.com\/SzOtqsAJ9A<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) July 1, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n