Moses Itauma Set to Face Filip Hrgović on August 8 in Manchester

Moses Itauma is set to fight Filip Hrgović on August 8 in Manchester, giving the 21-year-old heavyweight a top 10 opponent after his march through the division. Itauma enters at 14-0 with 12 knockouts, while Hrgović brings a three-round win over Dave Allen from May 16.

Itauma’s August 8 Shift

The date moved after a July 25 fight at London’s O2 Arena had been pencilled in for Itauma’s next bout. Anthony Joshua then announced that he would be fighting in Saudi Arabia on July 25, and reports followed that Itauma would instead fight on August 8.

Frank Warren put the location and the level of opposition into the open when he said, “Moses is fighting up in Manchester, we're going to announce it,” and added, “He's fighting a top 10 heavyweight, we expect to get the fight we want to make over the line.”

Filip Hrgović’s May 16 Win

Hrgović arrives off a bludgeoning win of his own. He stopped Dave Allen in three rounds on May 16, which is the kind of recent form that explains why he is understood to be Itauma’s opponent of choice.

That pairing would put Itauma against a fighter already operating at a higher rung of the division’s public pecking order. It also keeps the spotlight on a heavyweight who beat Jermaine Franklin in five rounds in March and has not dropped a professional fight.

Manchester Heavyweight Test

Warren framed it as a fight worth making, saying, “Again, a great heavyweight fight. This division is on fire.” For Itauma, the challenge is obvious: a 21-year-old with 12 knockouts now moves into a bout that can tell more about his ceiling than any routine step forward.

For readers tracking the division, the practical detail is simple. August 8 is now the date to watch, Manchester is the setting, and Hrgović is the name attached to the test. If the bout goes through as expected, Itauma gets the kind of opponent that can sharpen the conversation around where he fits among heavyweights now, not later.