Filip Hrgovic vs Moses Itauma: who will win?

Simply due to the (as current) avoidance of punchers. The Gassiev fight was right there for the making, with quick access to a strap and then a proper title shot if he had won it. I just find it very strange team Itauma didn't take it, given how vocal they were about how they wanted Pulev (if he had won). Gassiev is also pretty one dimensional and straightforward, so if Itauma is as good as advertised he would've outboxed him easily. My only guess is they didn't want a possible banana skin given Gassiev's one shot power. There are also plenty of Brit level punchers that he has somehow managed to avoid whilst ranking up. As it stands he has never been tested by a legit puncher so it is alright to second guess his chin imo.

Also I don't really take sparring stories too seriously. Look where it ended up for Martin Bakole. We don't know what condition guys are in or what they potentially want to work on in sparring. If we go by sparring logic then Spadafora would beat Mayweather and Eubank Jr would beat Froch. Doesn't mean much to me, personally.

 

Itauma is the new Joe Louis. He will stop Hrgovic easily in 3-4 rounds. His combinations and hand speed are comparable only to Joe Louis.

 

It's the first real test for Itauma - he's looking astonishing smashing up corpses and journeymen, but now he's going up against a solid gatekeeper who is good enough in most departments (but only special in the chin department) that this fight should tell us an awful lot about Moses future in the division.

If Itauma can KO Hrgovic, he has legit huge power.
If Itauma can win a decision, he has stamina.

If Hrgovic can stop Itauma with accumulation, Moses durability will always be a problem.
If Hrgovic can KO Itauma with a single punch, Itauma is basically packing glass.
If Hrgovic can win a decision, then Moses stamina isn't great.

If Itauma takes some punches and wins a decision, that answers the biggest questions remaining about him.
If he knocks the Croat out, especially early, he's a scarier dude than most thought.
If he loses, it doesn't necessarily mean he's not going anywhere - but it means he's unlikely to be dominant through the next era.

It's the perfect fight for the fans - fair play to both for taking it!

 

what’s there to know about Hrgovic? We know all there is to know about him. He’s a finished product. A good boxer with solid skills, an amazing chin, and a particularly accurate right hand. He’s not great, but he’s good, with a couple of standout features I just mentioned.

he’ll answer all remaining questions about Ituama.

personally, I think Ituama is the next big thing and will win, eventually become undisputed. The Franklin fight convinced me.

 

I think Hrgovic has more to gain here — he wins, he resurrects his career and standing from a few years ago. It’s a big risk, but he’s got a big possible reward.

ituama? Straight up risk, with the reward I guess being proving that he’s ready to take on the elites. If he handles Hrgovic like he did Franklin, he’s ready for anyone. Bring on Dubois, whoever.

 

The Franklin fight convinced me that Itauma is gonna have bad stamina issues in the 2nd half of a fight, if his opponent can take him there, he was blowing pretty hard in the 4th and 5th rounds, to the point I thought it might get interesting if Franklin could have stayed in it.

If it wasn't for his propensity to get cut, I'd be looking for a Hrgo stoppage late - El Animal has taken bombs from Zhang and Dubois and kept going and although he can loose concentration he seems to have a decent beard.

But Itauma is quick and hits very hard - his KO of McKean was particularly impressive, it would be a real statement if he can stop Hrgo!

Really interested in this match up!

 

Good test for Itauma and should give us an idea about his stamina and chin.

Unfortunately Hrgovic also seems to have stamina issues, and he's not a 1 punch hitter...so I got Itauma by ref stoppage mid to late fight.

 

Up to a point, yes, Hrgovic has more to gain.

Itauma has pretty much got to the point where he needs a good fight to announce he's truly arrived - and you could argue this is one of the less risky options for a step up into gatekeepers, given Hrgovic has limitations with both stoppage and cards. Yes, he's decent all around, but if Itauma is the real deal he should be winning this - it still doesn't automatically follow that he's going to dominate, but it certainly means he's in the conversation and ready for a fringe contender like Wardley, or for a legit like Parker or Dubois.

It's definitely an "if", though - it's a decent step up. Good matchmaking.

 

If he stops Hrgovic in the first half (especially by KO) it suggests he's more of a force than Zhang and Dubios.

Beyond Hrgovic his next step up would likely be a title fight.

 

Agreed.

It doesn't necessarily mean he has stamina or a chin, at that point, but if he can knock out Hrgovic he doesn't really need to be any good on cards because he can knock out anyone.

Probably - if he wants one.

 

I'm quite critical of Hrgovic because of his fall during the fight, my heart tells me Hrgovic will win but my brain says Itauma will win, let's enjoy the fight while it lasts.

 

I'd say Itauma, without a doubt. Speed, timing and accuracy are on Itauma's side. What I'm wondering is how he'll win. Hrgovic is solid, he's absorbed punches from powerful fighters like Zhang, Joyce, and Dubois well, losing to DDD for cuts. So we'll see if Itauma wins on points or by stoppage.

 

Hrgovic’s stamina issues are self inflicted. He throws like crazy for 5-6 rounds then is spent. He doesn’t pace himself.

good example of a big guy who knows how to pace himself —- Tyson Fury. He never visibly gases, ever, because he slows the pace as needed to conserve stamina.

 

Well his brother got knocked out by a tin can. Might run in the family.

 

if he fights Hrgovic and doesn’t get KO’d, it means he’s not packing glass. Hrgovic WILL find his chin. So, the fight will answer a bit about his chin.