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Moses Itauma to face Filip Hrgovic for vacant IBF heavyweight title

A win on Saturday would make the 21-year-old British boxer the second-youngest world heavyweight champion in history.

Updated Aug 28, 2026 · 07:19 UTC1 reports

The short version

Moses Itauma will fight Filip Hrgovic on Saturday for the vacant IBF world heavyweight title.
If he wins, the 21-year-old will become the second-youngest world heavyweight champion in history and boxing's youngest active world champion.
The fight became a world-title bout after Oleksandr Usyk vacated the belt and Frank Sanchez agreed to step aside.
Critics and opponent Filip Hrgovic have questioned if Itauma was fast-tracked too quickly, noting he has never fought or sparred 12 rounds.

Moses Itauma is scheduled to fight Croatia's Filip Hrgovic on Saturday for the vacant IBF heavyweight title.[BBC News]
A victory would make the 21-year-old Itauma the second-youngest heavyweight champion in history behind Mike Tyson, and the youngest active world champion in boxing.[BBC News]
Itauma enters his first world-title bout in his 16th professional fight, having logged 31 total professional rounds.[BBC News]
The bout was elevated to a world-title contest after former champion Oleksandr Usyk vacated the IBF title and Frank Sanchez agreed to step aside.[BBC News]
Itauma holds victory stoppages over Dillian Whyte and Jermaine Franklin.[BBC News]

Whether Itauma's stamina and durability can hold up in later rounds, as he has never fought or sparred 12 rounds in his career.[BBC News]
Whether Itauma earned the title shot purely on merit, as opponent Filip Hrgovic claimed Itauma was handed everything on a plate, while supporters point to his rapid advancement and knockout record.[BBC News]