Moses Itauma Says He'd Beat Usyk — But Hrgovic Comes First

Moses Itauma isn't shy about it: ask the 21-year-old whether he'd beat Oleksandr Usyk right now and he'll tell DAZN he's fully confident he would. It's a bold line from a fighter who's 14-0 with 12 stoppages and has never faced anyone remotely close to the two-division undisputed champion. First, though, there's business at the O2.

On August 29, Itauma meets Filip Hrgovic for the vacant IBF heavyweight title in London. Win, and he becomes the youngest heavyweight champion since Mike Tyson took Trevor Berbick apart in two rounds back in 1986 — a genuine slice of history for a kid who was fighting Jermaine Franklin, stopping him in five, in his most recent outing.

The Real Test

The Usyk talk is fun, but Hrgovic is the immediate problem. The Croatian's only blemish is a round-eight cuts stoppage against Daniel Dubois in 2024 — and Dubois is now WBO champ at 23-3 (22 KO), fresh off an R11 finish of Fabio Wardley. That tells you Hrgovic operates at genuine world level. This is the fight that reveals whether Itauma's hype is earned or just clean matchmaking.

Should he get through it, the reward isn't a rest. Frank Sanchez, the #7-ranked Cuban at 26-1 (19 KO) and coming off a second-round KO of Richard Torrez, waits as mandatory. Sanchez has reportedly agreed to sit tight for step-aside money of an unspecified figure, which keeps Itauma's options open for a beat.

Where Usyk Fits

Usyk, meanwhile, is a different conversation entirely. He vacated his three belts but remains lineal champion after beating Tyson Fury twice in 2024. At 39, though, the cracks are showing — his May night against former kickboxing king Rico Verhoeven was a labour before he forced the stoppage in round 11, and Usyk himself has said he's into his last dance.

So a crossroads clash between the fading great and the coming force is fading with it. The far more likely script has Usyk facing Deontay Wilder, the 45-4-1 (43 KO) former WBC champ who edged Derek Chisora on a split decision last time out. Itauma can talk about beating Usyk all he likes. Hrgovic will decide if anyone should be listening.