Dave Allen Downplays Hrgovic's Power Before Itauma Title Fight

Dave Allen got a firsthand look at Filip Hrgovic in May, and he walked away unconvinced the Croatian belongs among the division's biggest punchers. That matters, because Hrgovic fights for a world title Saturday at London's O2 Arena against Moses Itauma, the 21-year-old prospect who's 14-0 with 12 knockouts and ranked sixth at heavyweight.

Allen, stopped inside three rounds by Hrgovic earlier this year, said on his YouTube channel that he never rated Hrgovic as a heavy hitter before they shared a ring — and still didn't after. What he did credit was Hrgovic's strength, his intent, and a habit of throwing awkward shots from awkward angles, plenty of them looping around the back of the head.

What's Actually on the Line

The IBF strap is vacant, handed back by Oleksandr Usyk in June after the lineal champ's 25-0 run and R11 stoppage of Rico Verhoeven. Itauma wants to fill that hole and, in doing so, become the youngest heavyweight titlist since Mike Tyson took Trevor Berbick apart in 1986. That's the kind of company you don't get to keep by accident.

Itauma looked the part in March, folding Jermaine Franklin in five. But Hrgovic is a different animal entirely — more experienced, higher class, and, per Allen, the third-best heavyweight the Brit has ever faced. That's a real step up, and there's no promise Itauma gets another comfortable evening.

The Power Question

Here's the wrinkle in Allen's read: he named Luis Ortiz and Tony Yoka as tougher tests than Hrgovic, both men who stopped him — Ortiz in 2016, Yoka in 2018. So if the argument is that Hrgovic's power is overstated, Allen's own résumé backs it up. The Croatian hurts you with pressure and angles, not one-punch dynamite.

That's exactly the sort of nuance Itauma has to solve. Youth and speed are his edge, but Hrgovic reportedly arrives in the shape of his life, and awkward, physical veterans have a way of dragging kids into ugly water. Win, and Itauma rewrites the record books. Get careless, and the O2 crowd sees the ceiling on the hype in real time.