British-Nigerian heavyweight prospect Moses Itauma will battle Filip Hrgović for the vacant IBF heavyweight title on Saturday at the O2 Arena in London, with tension rising between both fighters ahead of the bout.
Itauma, born in Slovakia to a Nigerian father and Slovak mother before relocating to Kent as a child, remains unbeaten in all 14 professional contests, with 12 knockouts, including a first-round stoppage of former world title challenger Dillian Whyte.
Victory would make him the second-youngest heavyweight world champion in history, behind only Mike Tyson, who was 20 when he won his first title, and boxing’s youngest active world champion.
Ahead of the bout, Itauma admitted Hrgovic’s pre-fight taunts were beginning to get under his skin, after being repeatedly labelled a “kid” with limited experience.
“I tell myself there’s nothing that this Hrgovic guy can do to get in my head, but he’s starting to wind me up,” Itauma said, describing as particularly irritating a comment in which Hrgovic mockingly suggested he “wakes up and hugs trees.”
