British heavyweight boxer Moses Itauma will compete for the vacant International Boxing Federation (IBF) heavyweight title against Filip Hrgovic on August 29. The bout is scheduled to take place at London's O2 Arena.
Itauma, 21, has an impressive professional record of 12 knockouts in 14 victories and has been identified as a rising star in the heavyweight division. Frank Warren, Itauma's promoter, expressed confidence in his fighter's potential to secure the title. "A lot of people have high expectations of him as I have," Warren told BBC Sport. "We signed him when he was 16. He was an amateur. We sponsored him and he turned professional with us. And he's been amazing and sort of taken the world by storm."
The IBF belt became vacant when Oleksandr Usyk relinquished it in June. Initially, Itauma was slated to enter negotiations with Frank Sanchez for the title, with a deadline of July 29. However, Sanchez has agreed to step aside and will instead face the winner of the Itauma-Hrgovic fight.
"We paid [Sanchez] some money. We said whoever wins the fight, you're not losing out and you'll get the opportunity to fight for the title against the winner," Warren explained.
Itauma's recent performances include a fifth-round stoppage of Jermaine Franklin in March and a first-round knockout of Dillian Whyte in August 2025. Hrgovic, a 2016 Olympic bronze medalist, brings a record of 20 professional wins to the fight. The 34-year-old Croatian most recently defeated Dave Allen by third-round stoppage in May. "We know Hrgovic is going to come and give 100%, and 100% of him is hard work for anyone," Warren stated.