Rising heavyweight Moses Itauma has pushed back against suggestions that he has been treated as boxing’s “golden child” ahead of what he expects to be the toughest fight of his professional career against Filip Hrgovic.
The 21-year-old initially began preparing for Hrgovic in Marbella before returning home with the opportunity to become Britain’s youngest heavyweight champion firmly in his sights.
The stakes surrounding Saturday’s fight at London’s O2 Arena have also increased significantly. Itauma and Hrgovic were originally scheduled to meet without a title on the line, but the IBF later ordered the pair to face one another. Frank Sanchez agreed to step aside on the condition that he will fight the winner.
Hrgovic has spent much of the build-up questioning Itauma’s rapid rise, suggesting that the young British heavyweight has received a smoother path to the top and benefited from special treatment.
Itauma, however, believes the backing he has received from Queensberry is based on the potential he has shown rather than any unearned privilege.
“I don’t get treated the way I am for no reason,” Itauma said. “There’s obviously something about me that Queensberry sees and wants to push. It’s not just about what I’ve already done, but what they believe I can do.
“With every fight, I feel like I’m proving that I’m capable of becoming what they think I can become.”
Still, Itauma has no problem acknowledging the scale of the challenge in front of him. The 34-year-old Hrgovic brings considerably more experience and one of the strongest recent resumes in the heavyweight division.
“Of course, it’s a step up — a big step up,” Itauma said. “Hrgovic is my toughest opponent. I’m not going to shy away from that.”
But when asked directly whether he has been treated like a “golden child,” Itauma rejected the idea.
“I wouldn’t say so, because it’s not for no reason,” he said. “I’ve knocked out almost everyone in the first or second round. Jermaine Franklin had never been knocked down before, and he had just beaten Ivan Dychko.
“I stopped him in five rounds. When you call someone a golden child, it makes it sound like they’ve been given a privilege. I wouldn’t say I’ve been privileged in boxing.”
Hrgovic’s argument is that his own route to the elite level has been much more demanding. The Croatian heavyweight built his reputation as an accomplished amateur, won an Olympic bronze medal in 2016, competed internationally and faced difficult assignments throughout his professional career.
Itauma respects that background but believes Hrgovic has overlooked the work behind his own rapid development.
“I’m not going to keep arguing my point because I know what I’ve done,” Itauma said. “But did they put Dillian Whyte on a plate for me? No. I still had to go through a full training camp and do everything required to prepare for that fight.
“I understand if fans say things like that because they don’t know everything that goes on behind the scenes. But he’s a fighter himself, so it’s disappointing to hear him say it.
“You go through camp, spend the money, make the sacrifices and then deal with everything that happens inside the ring. For him to say I’ve had everything handed to me says more about his character than it does about mine.”
Itauma’s reputation has grown rapidly since his teenage years, with stories of him performing impressively against established fighters in sparring. Yet he believes much of the attention has focused on the headlines rather than the hours of work behind his development.
He also accepts that his journey has been different from Hrgovic’s.
“We’ve lived different lives,” Itauma said. “Hrgovic is already well into his career and I’m still at the beginning of mine. He’s done what he’s done, and I can appreciate his story.”
At the same time, Itauma argued that Hrgovic’s Olympic success gave him advantages when he entered the professional ranks.
“He’s had a tough route, but he didn’t start from scratch,” Itauma said. “He had an Olympic medal, and they don’t just hand those out. He earned it, but having that medal gave him a head start.
“Some fighters have to begin on small-hall shows and work their way up from absolutely nothing. Hrgovic started with a platform because of what he achieved as an amateur.
“I wouldn’t say he had the toughest route to where he is now. He was also fortunate to get the decision against Zhilei Zhang. If he hadn’t won that fight, would he have received all the opportunities that followed?”
Despite the criticism exchanged during the build-up, Itauma was quick to praise Hrgovic’s accomplishments and insisted he has no interest in diminishing his opponent’s record.
“I think he has one of the best resumes in heavyweight boxing right now,” Itauma said. “He beat David Adeleye, got the decision over Zhang, beat Joe Joyce and Dave Allen, and he had a very good fight with Daniel Dubois.
“I had him ahead on the cards before he was stopped, and that stoppage came because of a cut. It wasn’t something he had full control over.
“When you look at what he has done, I think he has one of the best resumes in the heavyweight division.”
For Itauma, the debate over his rise will ultimately be settled in the ring. A victory over Hrgovic would represent the biggest result of his young career and strengthen the argument that the confidence placed in him has been earned rather than handed to him.
