Heavyweight champion begged to face Moses Itauma after his last performance: “Bring him on”

Moses Itauma was selected as the most desirable opponent for a world champion but, instead, he will now be facing Filip Hrgovic on August 29.

The pair have agreed to collide at London’s O2 Arena, with Itauma coming off a fifth-round finish over the typically durable Jermaine Franklin in March.

Against Hrgovic, though, the heavyweight prodigy is set to encounter his sternest assignment thus far, testing whether he is capable of competing at world level.

Up to this point, the 21-year-old has shown signs of genuine world-class potential, albeit against opponents he was largely expected to dispatch within a few rounds.

Hrgovic, meanwhile, has only suffered the one defeat against Daniel Dubois, in June 2024, when he remained fiercely competitive before getting stopped on cuts in round eight.

But while the Croatian is seen as a credible opponent, Itauma could have ended up with a world title opportunity if only his team had entertained a showdown with Murat Gassiev.

The Russian was elevated from ‘regular’ to full WBA champion after Oleksandr Usyk, his former cruiserweight foe, decided to vacate his three belts.

Before that, promoter Al Siesta told Seconds Out that Gassiev was particularly keen on defending his title against Itauma.

“[Gassiev] watched that fight against Jermaine Franklin and the trainer called me instantly and said, ‘I will have him – please, please’.

“When I went back to Frank [Warren, Itauma’s promoter], I comfortably said, ‘Frank, we’re happy with Itauma. Bring him on’.

“They were like … ‘Right, okay. Let’s see. Let’s revisit that later’.”

Gassiev was set to lock horns with Tony Yoka on July 11 but, with the Olympic gold medallist sustaining a back injury, the WBA champion is now searching for a new opponent to face at Moscow’s VTB Arena.