Frank Warren has hinted that Filip Hrgovic has rejected an offer to fight young phenom Moses Itauma in December.
Hrgovic is coming off an impressive points victory over former British champion David Adeleye on the undercard of Itauma’s one-round demolition of Dillian Whyte last month. But Warren implied the Croatian has priced himself out of the fight.
Warren told talkSPORT Boxing: “There’s two ways to say you don’t want to fight. You say I don’t want the fight or I want a trillion pounds for it.”
Itauma shocked the boxing world when he blasted past heavyweight stalwart Whyte in his last fight, finishing the contest in under a round.
Whyte was supposed to be the man to give Itauma the rounds of experience he needed on his path to a world title, but the 20-year-old finished him in devastating fashion. Itauma showed composure and accuracy beyond his years in knocking Whyte out, leaving Warren to search for another opponent who can offer more staunch opposition for his return in December.
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Warren teased an imminent fight announcement and said, “It will be a top 10 ranked opponent.”
Other top 10 ranked fighters who are available for Itauma to fight in the division include Lawrence Okolie, Martin Bakole and Jarrell Miller.
Okolie suffered a bicep injury in his last fight in July, and his return date is unknown. Bakole has not fought since his underwhelming draw with Efe Ajagba and will be looking for a fight before the end of the year.
Miller was supposed to fight Michael Hunter this week, but because of legal disputes, Hunter dropped out. Miller fits the bill of a durable yet skilled fighter who could offer Itauma the experience his team believes he requires before taking the step up to a world title.
Itauma will also have a close eye on two fellow contenders, Joseph Parker and Fabio Wardley, who are scheduled to fight on October 25 in London to become the next in line to face undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk.
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The pair of Queensberry fighters are the WBO and WBA interim heavyweight champions. Itauma is ranked in the top 10 with three of the four sanctioning bodies and is well-positioned to take on a fight with the winner in 2026, although he currently has the same trainer as Wardley.
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