Right then. The fight week build for Hrgovic versus Allen has dragged the same name out of every camp interview this week — Moses Itauma. Hrgovic put him in the contract. Itauma put Hrgovic in the post-fight interview after the Franklin demolition. Frank Warren has held off naming an opponent for August 8 specifically so the May 16 result writes the August 8 booking.
Let’s not beat around the bush — this is the next fight both sides want.
The Itauma Path
Itauma is 14-0, 12 by knockout, and just took apart Jermaine Franklin in five rounds on March 28 at Manchester. The WBO president has confirmed publicly he’ll recommend Itauma as the WBO mandatory once the dust settles on the Dubois reign.
Itauma needs one more fight before that mandatory call lands. The O2 on August 8 is that fight. The question is who.
The Hrgovic Path
Hrgovic’s problem has always been the same: he’s a brilliant boxer who fights below his hype because he doesn’t get the fights. Multi-fight Queensberry deal solved that — Allen on May 16, then a top-six name. Itauma sits at the very top of the names Frank Warren listed.
If Hrgovic gets Allen out inside six, the August 8 booking writes itself. Itauma versus Hrgovic at the O2 is a proper world title eliminator. Both unbeaten. Both with reach. Both wanting it on their CV.
Why Warren Wants It
This is the part most people are missing. Itauma needs a name. Hrgovic needs a name. Both are Queensberry fighters. Warren controls both contracts. Stylistically it’s a brilliant fight — Hrgovic’s jab versus Itauma’s feet, classic veteran-versus-prospect dynamic, and the loser still has a UK career.
What Warren doesn’t want: Itauma against a soft touch in August. He’s done that twice this year already. The audience wants to see the kid tested before the WBO mandatory call. Hrgovic is the perfect dance partner — experienced enough to test, but not so dangerous he derails the project.
The Style Match
Make no mistake — Hrgovic against Itauma is the kind of fight that announces a young heavyweight. Itauma’s southpaw stance turns Hrgovic’s straight right hand into a longer, riskier shot. Itauma’s combinations have hurt better-defended men than Hrgovic. The body work would tell late.
The flip: Hrgovic’s jab is genuinely heavy, and he doesn’t mind getting hit. If he can land that jab in rounds three and four, he can drag Itauma into deep water where the kid hasn’t been.
It’s a proper fight. Levels of detail in both corners.
The Wrinkles
Two things could stop this. One: Hrgovic looks ordinary against Allen and Warren pivots to a soft August 8 opponent. Two: the WBO mandatory call comes earlier than expected — if the WBO orders Dubois versus Itauma straight away, the August 8 fight becomes a tune-up and Hrgovic gets shuffled.
My read: both wrinkles are 25% probability. The 75% line is Hrgovic gets Allen out, the WBO holds Dubois until 2027, and we get Itauma-Hrgovic at the O2 in August.
Luke’s Read
This is the fight both sides should take, both sides will take, and the British boxing calendar would be better for getting it. Itauma by stoppage in seven if he gets the matchup. Class kid against a proper veteran is the best test there is before a world title shot.
If you know, you know — Frank Warren is sitting in his office today wishing one thing on Saturday night: that Hrgovic looks brilliant. Because if he does, August 8 at the O2 becomes one of the best heavyweight match-ups of the summer.