Hrgovic Rates Dubois Over Itauma on Power Before O2 Clash

Filip Hrgovic isn't buying the idea that Moses Itauma is the scariest hitter in the heavyweight division. Ahead of their August 29 clash headlining a Queensberry card at London's O2 Arena, the 34-year-old Croatian told DAZN that the man who beat him, Daniel Dubois, punches harder than the 21-year-old he's about to face. Given Dubois carries a 22-KO record from 23 wins — a knockout ratio hovering around 95% — it's not a controversial pick.

Hrgovic knows the feeling personally. Dubois stopped him on cuts in the eighth round back in 2024, though the Croatian gave a genuine account of himself before the doctors intervened. He credits Itauma's hand speed but stops short of putting the youngster in Dubois' bracket for raw force — and the numbers give him cover, because Itauma has yet to prove his power against anyone near world level.

What Itauma Has Actually Done

The kid's résumé looks spotless on paper. Fourteen fights, no defeats, twelve stoppages, and — remarkably — he hasn't dropped a single round or been caught cleanly with much of anything. The best name on that ledger is Jermaine Franklin, whom Itauma dispatched in the fifth round this past March. Impressive, but the opposition has been modest, and Hrgovic represents a clear step up in class.

Where Hrgovic Fits

Hrgovic has operated at a higher altitude for years. His signature win came against Zhilei Zhang in 2022, a unanimous decision that split opinion at the time. The Dubois performance, loss and all, arguably reads better on the CV. He's still parked firmly in the top 10, and for Itauma this is comfortably the toughest assignment of a young career.

The subtext here is Dubois' trajectory since that night. The WBO champion went on to become a two-time titlist by stopping Fabio Wardley in the eleventh round in May, dropping Wardley to 20-1-1. So when Hrgovic name-checks 'Dynamite' as the division's most destructive puncher, he's not reaching for hyperbole — he's describing a man who's mostly been settling business early.

For Itauma, August 29 is the exam that finally counts. Beat a top-10 heavyweight who's shared a ring with Dubois, and the hype earns its keep. Struggle, and the questions about who he's actually beaten get a lot louder. Either way, we'll learn more about him in one night at the O2 than in his previous fourteen fights combined.