Boxer Moses Itauma has responded to the status of his fight against Filip Hrgovic being upgraded to a fight for the International Boxing Federation heavyweight world title.
"I don't really have any feelings about it. I still take Hrgovic seriously, and now that this fight is for a world title, I still take it seriously," Moses Itauma said in a report from The Ring, which was monitored.
The fight between the two boxers will take place at The O2 Arena, London, England, on August 29th for the IBF heavyweight world title, which Oleksandr Usyk relinquished in June 2026.
Originally, the IBF ordered Itauma to face Frank Sanchez for the belt, but the British boxer's promoter, Queensberry, managed to reach a deal to ensure the belt was on the line in London, with Sanchez guaranteed a chance to fight the winner.
The decision means Itauma has the chance to become the second-youngest heavyweight world champion in history at 21 years and eight months, moving Floyd Patterson into third place.
However, when responding to the announcement of the fight's upgrade after it was confirmed by his promoter, Frank Warren, the southpaw insisted he was simply ignoring it. For Itauma, Hrgovic was a serious threat even before the upgrade.
"I don't really react to anything. If I had fought Hrgovic and I had a chance to fight for the world title, I'd say: yes, put the world title on the line," he said.
Itauma has emerged as one of the undefeated fighters with the most devastating finishing ability in the heavyweight division over his first 14 fights. Nearly all of his fights have ended before the final round, and 11 of his 12 knockout wins have come inside two rounds.
He hopes Hrgovic, a 34-year-old boxer from Croatia, will prove to be even tougher, because his opponent is a very good fighter.
Hrgovic has recorded 20 wins, with only one loss. Itauma said that Hrgovic's loss was due to a cut, so he believes his opponent is a formidable fighter.
He also predicted that the fight would be a long night for him, but he assured him that he would be fine.
Besides Hrgovic, Itauma also identified who among the contenders he expects to become the next dominant force in the division. He highlighted WBC kingpin Agit Kabayel as his toughest opponent.
"He has almost beaten everyone who is on the rise right now, so I would probably say he would be the biggest rival, if that makes sense," he said.
