Itauma-Hrgovic is now for the Vacant IBF Heavyweight World Championship

All that nonsensical bashing and prediction-chasing about itaumas soon-to-be downfall will hopefully soon end.

All vague feelings, no more.

With what he has shown he belongs in the top ten. Who else? Put him up against joshua or fury and see

 

Again, Harrison and Price were established amateurs. Harrison won the Olympic Gold. Price won Olympic Bronze. They were both highly rated coming into the pros. They both had good careers. They just never became world champs.

The HUGE difference here is no orgs were falling all over themselves ranking both Harrison and Price the #1 contenders and offering them vacant heavyweight title fights ... even with their established credentials in the amateurs.

Where did Moses Itauma come from? All his amateur fights were YOUTH fights - under 18. He wasn't a world ranked amateur. He didn't attempt to make his country's Olympic team. He didn't medal at the Games.

If Hrgovic beats him up and stops him for the vacant belt, people are going to be scratching their heads for years wondering how Moses Itauma got to this point where some British fans here were demanding Usyk fight him when Moses had only 13 fights and was only 20.

If he loses, it will be the biggest hype job pulled off in many a year. Even Michael Grant and Gerry Cooney weren't pushed to the front and deemed the top contender in so few outings ... and Grant and Cooney had more and better wins as pros before their title shots.

Top world ranked or medal winning amateurs get pushed all the time. It's just weird to see this at heavyweight when Moses really had no track record at all against "adults" in the amateurs.

He'll either be the ultimate phenom or, if he gets beaten up, the biggest head-scratcher this century.

 

Right.

 

Ituama does look special though. His reaction time, twitchyness, hand AND foot speed (watch him hop in and out, he looks like Bivol in there), combined with his power, it's something. Maybe Filip is about to show us that Ituama has a glass jaw or no stamina, who knows, but man does the kid look the goods.

 

These "Champions" are a complete joke. None of them beat the champ, or the next highest rated contender to receive their belts.

 

I don't know how this one may go, but I have a feeling Hrgovic will be ahead after 6 rounds if it goes that far

I slightly favour Hrgovic but wouldn't bet either way atm

 

I thought Kabayel was awarded the title
Was one of his previous fights interim?

 

Hold on. The ref ain't Howard Foster is it?

Hrgovic's team needs to have negotiated the ref well. It can't be someone who will stop a fight over a cut unless it's so bad that Hrgovic can't see -- this is a title fight, the guy gets cut all the time and is used to it, and his team will get the cut stopped, just let him go.

Also, no British stoppages from shoe shining.

 

I don’t think anyone can really disagree with Hrgovic having the right to fight for the IBF in this manner, given the absolute farce he was subjected to prior to facing Dubois. He had the entire top 15 duck him twice over on 2 separate occasions.

Therefore, the belt on the line is fair.

Hrgovic as a fighter though is clearly over the top compared to what he once was. The fire has gone from his belly. He spent his best years as an amateur and facing stiffs as a professional because all the big boys were freezing him out.

Itauma is still a kid in HW boxing terms and I think he finds a way in this fight to stop Hrgovic, who doesn’t have the power to keep Itauma honest.

 

Only one of them had the opportunity to

 

Gassiev by no means deserves to be champion; his biggest victory in the heavyweight division is over an aging Pulev.

 

Exactly. I thought it was a joke when his team used to talk about him dethroning Mike for youngest HW champ ever, but ending up second all-time, in 2026, would still be a very impressive feat.

 

Well, Mike Tyson had 28 fights in less than two years when he became champ.

Floyd Patterson had 32 fights in four years when he became the champ.

Moses has had 14 fights in four years. That's not really being active, compared to the guys he was trying to surpass.

It's more about who his promoter is.