Derek Chisora believes Filip Hrgovic would provide the toughest challenge yet for rising star Moses Itauma.
Itauma is just 22 years old but has long been talked about as the future of the heavyweight division, with both Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk hailing him as a potential world champion.
As of yet, he has not gone beyond six rounds in the 13 fights he has taken so far. That includes a first-round knockout of former world title challenger Dillian Whyte and a sixth-round stoppage of American Jermaine Franklin, who took both Whyte and Anthony Joshua the full 12 rounds.
He is a proven puncher with fast hands, slick defences and the footwork that gets him out of trouble as well as into dangerous positions to land his best shots.
As his quest to become a belt holder continues, Itauma is looking to take the next step up, with many suggesting that Hrgovic could be that man.
Last time out, the 33-year-old Croatian stopped Dave Allen inside three rounds, and has beaten the likes of David Adeleye and Joe Joyce. A defeat to Daniel Dubois, stopped on cuts, in 2024 is the one loss on his record so far.
Speaking to talkSPORT Boxing, ‘Del Boy’ claimed it would be a great fight.
“You can tell by his eyes, he [Hrgovic] is so confident, him and Moses would be a good fight. Is he a good fighter? He is an amazing fighter, they call him ‘El Animal’, there is a reason that they call him that.
“To answer your question, is that going to be a good fight for him [Hrgovic]? Southpaw, young fighter, yes.”
“I love Moses, I believe that when you have people pushing you so much, having you think that you can beat anybody in the world, you believe it yourself. I think that this is a big step up for him.”
Itauma was originally thought to be fighting on Saturday, July 25, but Anthony Joshua’s comeback fight against Kristian Prenga has put paid to that and he will now fight two weeks later on August 8 in London. He does not yet have a named opponent, though it is said to be a top 10 heavyweight.
