What to Know
- The previously scheduled Itauma vs Hrgovic heavyweight fight on August 29 will now be contested for the vacant IBF World Heavyweight title
- The belt was recently vacated by former undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.
- The fight will take place at the O2 Arena in London, and air on DAZN Boxing PPV in the U.S.
British heavyweight Moses Itauma sought to break the record set by Mike Tyson by becoming the youngest-ever heavyweight champion by defeating Trevor Berbeck in 1986 when he was 20 years, four months, and 22 days old.
The 21-year-old Itauma of England (14-0, 12 KOs) will miss that mark by on August 29 by a little under 16 months, but it will still be a significant accomplishment for Itauma if he is victorious against Filip Hrgovic at the O2 in London. The fight will air on DAZN Boxing PPV in the U.S.
The previously announced matchup will now have the IBF World Heavyweight title on the line in the Queensberry Promotions card. It is the first of the championship belts vacated by Oleksandr Usyk to be in play.
Negotiations Successful by Queensberry Promotions to make Itauma vs Hrgovic a Title Fight
The one stumbling block in the way was the standing mandatory challenger, Frank Sanchez of Cuba. Sanchez, age 34 (26-1, 19 KOs) knocked out American Richard Torrez Jr. in spectacular style in May to earn his mandatory spot.
Negotiations with Sanchez and his team were successful, with Sanchez accepting a step-aside fee and agreeing to face the winner. The IBF had to approve the agreement, and it did that on Tuesday. Sanchez will also keep his number one ranking.
Per the IBF, either Itauma or Hrgovic “shall be required to fulfill the IBF mandatory defense obligation against Frank Sanchez. Such bout shall take place without undue delay, and no later than six months following the Itauma vs. Hrgovic contest, except in the event of force majeure, injury, or other circumstances approved by the IBF.
“No intervening bouts, including unification bouts, shall be permitted prior to satisfaction of this mandatory defense requirement unless otherwise authorized by the IBF.”
It’s a far better situation for Sanchez, with at least one foe out of his way with a loss and a bit of money in his pocket.
Frank Warren: ‘I’m Confident He Can Do It’
Queensberry Promotions’ Frank Warren told the BBC he promised Sanchez he would get his opportunity to face the winner of Itauma vs Hrgovic for the title.
Warren has big expectations for his young star. “We signed him when he was 16. He was an amateur. We sponsored him and he turned professional with us. And he’s been amazing and sort of taken the world by storm. This is a big moment for him. But I’m confident he can do it.”
Itauma vs Hrgovic won’t be a cakewalk for either man. Hrgovic of Croatia (20-1, 15 KOs) has beaten Joe Joyce, David Adeleye and Dave Allen in his previous three fights. He will be the toughest opponent of Itauma’s career so far.
If Hrgovic wins he would become the first heavyweight titleholder from Croatia. If Itauma wins, he will be the first heavyweight champion of Slovakian heritage. Itauma was born in Kežmarok, Slovakia, but after his family faced severe racism, they made the decision to move to Kent, England when Itauma was four years old. He has returned as an adult to train at high altitude in the Slovak mountains.
Both Croatia and Slovakia were once part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, forging centuries-old administrative and cultural links. The driving distance between their capitals, Bratislava and Zagreb, is only 186 miles, about the same distance between New York and Baltimore or Chicago and Indianapolis.
What Is The Current Status of the Heavyweight Division Champions?
With Usyk seemingly freeing himself from his championship belts and content to hold his position as the lineal heavyweight champion, the belts are now scattered. Daniel Dubois is the current WBO champion. Agit Kabayel has been elevated to the WBC champion.
The only champion not currently promoted by Queensberry is WBA champion Murat Gassiev, who won the “regular” WBA title with a stunning knockout win over Kubrat Pulev in December 2025, was elevated to full champion on July 2. He defended his title in Moscow with a sixth-round TKO win over Peter Kadiru of Germany on July 11. Gassiev was named as a possible opponent for Itauma later in 2026. Gassiev will now get in line behind Sanchez for the winner of the August IBF title fight.
Warren said he expects to stage the fight between the Itauma vs Hrgovic winner against Sanchez sometime between Thanksgiving and the end of the year.
Queensberry Promotions will also need to schedule the anticipated rematch between Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley for Dubois’ WBO World Heavyweight title. Dubois earned a decision the hard way against Wardley in a brutally tough Fight of the Year candidate on May 9.
To the surprise of many, Wardley invoked his rematch clause within a week of the loss with no hesitation despite taking serious punishment from Dubois.
Warren will also need to find an opponent and a date for Kabayel, who’d hoped to face Usyk after his narrow win over kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven. But Usyk is no longer contesting the major titles. He is expected to face American former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder, or perhaps engage Verhoeven in a rematch.
And then there’s the small matter of securing both a date and location for the long-anticipated British heavyweight showdown between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. That fight appears headed for Madison Square Garden in New York in the fall.
If you’re making plans, MSG has the first two Saturdays in November open (Nov. 7 and 14), as well as the first two Saturdays in December (Dec. 5 and 12).
Gayle Falkenthal is an award-winning boxing journalist with more than four dozen awards for both written and video coverage from the Boxing Writers Association of America, Society of Professional Journalists, and San Diego Press Club, where she is the past president. She is the only woman journalist who is a full voting member of the BWAA. She is the Boxing Editor for NY Fights based in San Diego, California.
