Itauma and Hrgovic clash at weigh-in before IBF title fight

Moses Itauma weighed 241.7 pounds and Filip Hrgovic 236.2 ahead of their vacant IBF heavyweight title fight at London’s O2 Arena. The confrontation involved the 21-year-old Itauma and the 34-year-old Hrgovic, who are scheduled to meet tomorrow night on DAZN.

The final face-off turned hostile after Itauma pushed Hrgovic backwards and off an elevated stage. Hrgovic recovered his balance before moving towards Itauma and slapping him across the face. Security personnel and members of both teams then separated the heavyweights as Itauma tried to respond.

The incident followed a disagreement over their positioning during the pose. Hrgovic had stepped in front of Itauma while the fighters were displaying their physiques, prompting Itauma to react physically. The Croatian has also repeatedly described his opponent as a carefully protected “golden child” on the way to the title opportunity.

Itauma enters the contest unbeaten and is seeking to become the youngest heavyweight world champion since Mike Tyson won the title against Trevor Berbick in 1986. Hrgovic’s only professional defeat came against Daniel Dubois in 2024, when he was stopped by cuts in the eighth round after a competitive performance.

The weigh-in confrontation adds tension to a fight that represents Itauma’s biggest test so far. Hrgovic has already shared the ring with major punchers including Zhilei Zhang and Dubois, while Itauma’s previous opposition has largely consisted of journeymen, apart from his victory over a 38-year-old Dillian Whyte.

The winner will claim the vacant IBF belt and is expected to face mandatory challenger Frank Sanchez next. Sanchez stopped Richard Torrez Jr in the second round in May and previously defeated Efe Ajagba on points, although he suffered a seventh-round knockout against Agit Kabayel in 2024. Eddie Hearn has identified Sanchez’s movement and reflexes as a potentially more difficult stylistic test for Itauma if the British fighter defeats Hrgovic.