Moses Itauma says veteran heavyweight came to ‘take my head off’ in sparring: “He wanted revenge”

Moses Itauma recalls one sparring session where a former opponent “came for revenge” and attempted to take his head off.

While the 21-year-old has won most of his professional contests in double-quick fashion, it seems he is rarely afforded any such luxury in the gym.

In fact, Itauma insists his training camp is often tougher than the fight itself, which seemingly proved to be the case for his last outing.

While Jermaine Franklin offered some resistance, he was nonetheless dropped twice and ultimately stopped in round five of their heavyweight encounter in March.

Seeking a greater challenge, Itauma is now gearing up to face Filip Hrgovic, an Olympic bronze medallist and top 10 heavyweight, at London’s O2 Arena on August 29.

As always, the quality of his sparring will represent a critical factor, just as it was ahead of his August 2025 contest with Dillian Whyte.

While their fight ended in a one-round blowout, Itauma had come prepared for a gruelling affair after sharing hard rounds with Polish veteran Mariusz Wach.

Speaking with DAZN, Itauma revealed his suspicion ‘The Viking’ undertook a revenge mission after suffering a second-round stoppage defeat to the talented prodigy in 2024.

“For the Dillian Whyte fight I had Mariusz Wach in [camp]. He didn’t even ask how much I was going to pay him; he didn’t even ask where he was going to stay. That guy just came for revenge.

“I’d done six rounds with two sparring partners, then Mariusz Wach jumped in and this guy was trying to take my head off.”

Moses Itauma really has former opponents coming back for sparring, not asking the fee & wanting revenge 😂#ItaumaHrgovic | Aug 29 | Watch only on DAZN pic.twitter.com/SzOtqsAJ9A

— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) July 1, 2026

At the age of 46, Wach will now face Tyson Fury on July 24, offering ‘The Gypsy King’ a low-risk warm-up fight at the Max Muaythai Stadium in Pattaya, Thailand.