Johnny Nelson has given his final prediction just a few hours ahead of the first bell for Moses Itauma’s much-anticipated world title fight with Filip Hrgovic.
The exciting Itauma is just 21 years old and, should he win the IBF contest with the much more experienced Hrgovic, he would become the second-youngest world heavyweight champion ever after Mike Tyson, who still holds the record from his win over Trevor Berbick when he was just 20 years of age.
The contest is a first real test for Itauma, who has blown away 12 of his 14 opponents so far. Most of them have tumbled inside the first couple of rounds, including Dillian Whyte inside the opening stanza.
Last time out it took him until round five to become the first man to stop the durable American Jermaine Franklin, who had previously gone 12 rounds with both Anthony Joshua and Whyte.
Speaking to talkSPORT Boxing, former cruiserweight world champion Nelson sided with Itauma.
“I’m going to go for a hard-fought win for Moses Itauma. He might have gone the distance, and if he goes the distance, he will have learnt so much about himself, but it’s going to be a hard-fought win, he’s going to work hard for that win.”
Hrgovic is a seasoned heavyweight who has beaten the likes of Zhilei Zhang, Dave Allen and David Adeleye, but he is prone to cuts and with Itauma’s notoriously fast hands and sharp punching, he too is facing one of the most difficult nights of his career.
The 34-year-old has been taunting Itauma in the build-up, and his opponent has recently admitted it has begun to get under his skin, which could be a factor in how the fight unfolds at the O2 Arena this Saturday night.
