Croatian heavyweight Filip Hrgović will fight for the vacant IBF title on August 29 in London against young favorite Moses Itauma. Despite an impressive career, bookmakers and the public are widely writing him off.
The boxing world is eagerly awaiting August 29, 2026, when Croatian heavyweight Filip Hrgović (34) and 21-year-old British boxer of Slovak descent, Moses Itauma, will step into the ring at the O2 Arena in London. At stake is the vacant IBF world title, which Oleksandr Usyk relinquished in June this year, adding extra weight to this bout.
Although this is a fight for the top of the world rankings, what stands out is the massive underestimation of Hrgović, a fighter who has worked tirelessly to reach this position. Bookmakers offer odds of 1.12 for an Itauma victory, while Hrgović's odds go as high as 8. Comments on social media suggest that the young Brit will "handle" the Croatian fighter without any trouble, with mentions of first-round knockouts, and some are calling this fight a "gift" for Itauma.
Beyond prestige and the belt, this fight carries significant financial weight. According to estimates from boxing circles, the total prize fund for this spectacle is expected to range between two and four million dollars. Since it's for a vacant title, the earnings are split according to IBF rules. Hrgović is set to receive a fixed purse ranging from $700,000 to $1 million, which would be one of the biggest paydays of his career.
On the other hand, the 21-year-old Brit, Moses Itauma, is expected to earn even more. His base purse is estimated at around $1.5 million, which would be a new financial record in his young professional career. As the home star of Queensberry Promotions, Itauma is also expected to have a significant share of pay-per-view revenue, potentially pushing his total earnings above $2 million. For comparison, he reportedly had a guaranteed purse of around $1 million for his previous big fight against Dillian Whyte.
However, the real financial jackpot for Hrgović would come with a victory. The status of world champion would dramatically increase his market value and allow him to negotiate from a completely different position, opening the door to multi-million-dollar purses in future big fights.
Boxing is traditionally called the noble art, but today's reality is different. Money and marketing potential have become more important than sporting merit. Moses Itauma will get a title shot after just 14 professional wins, while Hrgović's path to this fight has been much more arduous. If the Croatian fighter were to string together a few losses, he would hardly get another chance at the biggest fights, because he doesn't come from a big market and doesn't like to trash-talk outside the ring.
For comparison, Deontay Wilder has four losses in his last seven fights, yet there is still talk of a potential fight against Usyk. Promoters create narratives about new greats in advance, so it's no surprise that fans get caught up in it. Itauma undoubtedly has quality; he is strong and fast, but Hrgović is by far the biggest challenge of his career.
Itauma has yet to experience what it's like to go more than six rounds in the ring or to take a punch from one of the world's best heavyweights. Despite that, fights at stadiums and talk of title unification are already being arranged for him. On the other hand, Hrgović is a former junior world and European champion, an Olympic medalist, a man with nearly a hundred amateur fights, and a professional record of 22-1.
His only loss came against Daniel Dubois, arguably the hardest puncher of today, in a fight where he was ahead before the stoppage. Hrgović was the more active fighter in the first six rounds but then lost steam. It later emerged that he had considered postponing the fight due to a broken orbital bone a few weeks earlier and a viral infection, but he gritted his teeth and stepped into the ring. Dubois pressured him hard in the seventh round, and in the eighth, the referee stopped the fight due to a cut under Hrgović's eye. Up to that point, the Croatian fighter was ahead on the scorecards.
The whole situation is reminiscent of 2018 and the first fight between Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou in the UFC. Although Miocic was the champion with an impressive streak of fights, the organization, fans, and bookmakers underestimated him because they saw a lucrative story in the Cameroonian. In the fight itself, they were hit by reality - Miocic "schooled" Ngannou, dominated with experience, and showed that steps should not be skipped so easily, and wins should not be written in advance.
A similar scenario is now expected with Hrgović. The underestimation will be extra motivation for him. As talented and promising as Itauma is, the ring will give the final answer. If the young Brit, at 21 years and eight months, truly becomes the second-youngest heavyweight champion after Mike Tyson, it will be a historic achievement. But he will face an experienced fighter who has beaten great names like Zhilei Zhang, Joyce, and Adeleye, and who does not intend to be just a stepping stone in someone else's story.
