As announced by the promoters, Moses Itauma will face Filip Hrgovic at The O2 in London on Saturday, August 29, in a heavyweight fight scheduled to be broadcast live on DAZN on pay-per-view.

Itauma, 21, is undefeated at 14-0, has 12 knockouts and holds the WBO Intercontinental, WBA International and Commonwealth titles. His last fight was in March, when he defeated American Jermaine Franklin in the fifth round at the Co-op Live gala in Manchester. This fight was his longest since 2023; several of his recent wins have come in the opening round, including stoppages of Dillian Whyte and Demsey McKean.

Hrgovic, 34, of Croatia, has a record of 20-1, 15 knockouts and a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics. He previously held first place in the IBF ranking. In May he stopped Dave Allen in the third round at Doncasterand his third victory in a row. The escape came after his defeat to Daniel Dubois in June 2024, the only defeat of his career, which saw him overtake David Adeleye and Joe Joyce.

Hrgovic is the most experienced opponent Itauma has faced as a professional. He was stopped once in 21 fights and faced several world-class heavyweights.

“This has all the hallmarks of a classic heavyweight showdown and we were determined to see it through to the end,” said promoter Frank Warren. “This fight is the litmus test that Moses is ready for and it is the one he wanted. Filip believes it will be too much, too soon for the adolescent star. On August 29 at The O2 we will find out what will be another amazing night for British boxing.”

Jaron “Boots” Ennis says he doesn’t care about comparisons to former undisputed champion Terence Crawford as he prepares for the biggest fight of his career against Xander Zayas this Saturday night in Brooklyn.

Ennis (35-0, 31 KO) will face Zayas for the WBA and WBO junior middleweight titles at the Barclays Center, looking to become the unified champion of the second weight division. As his profile continues to rise, many fans are comparing his skills and versatility to Crawford, who vacated the IBF welterweight title in 2023 before he started gaining weight.

“I’m not worried about it,” Ennis told Daily Mail Boxing. “I know I fight like me, no one fights like me and I don’t fight like anyone. My style is different from everyone else’s. I feel like I have a unique style and no one can do what I do.”

Ennis made it clear that he saw himself as an exceptional warrior, not another version of someone else.

“They’ve been doing this for a long time. They compare every player to someone else, but I just do what I do,” Ennis said. “None of these fighters fight like me. They can’t do what I do. I’m different.”

The undefeated Philadelphia native won a share of the welterweight championship before moving up to 154 pounds earlier this year. He announced his arrival to the division by knocking out Uisma Lima in the first round and now faces the toughest task of his junior middleweight career.

Zayas (23-0, 13 KO) enters the fight as the division’s youngest unified champion after adding the WBO title to his WBA belt. A victory over the Puerto Rican star would give Ennis two second-division world titles and strengthen his position among boxing’s elite fighters.

Dan Ambrose is a boxing journalist at Boxing News 24, respected for his direct analysis and extensive coverage of the global fight landscape. His reports focus on the most essential fights, division development and the most discussed stories in sports.

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Last updated: 23/06/2026 at 11:40

Teddy Atlas weighed in on how Jesse Rodriguez would fare against Naoya Inoue after his sixth-round knockout of Antonio Vargas.

“Bam” dethroned Vargas and became world champion in three weight categories last Saturday, despite scoring a sixth consecutive shutout, many felt the 26-year-old performed below his typically elite standards.

Such high expectations can be explained by the American’s phenomenal skills, which saw him score significant victories over the likes of Juan Francisco Estrada and Bright Edwards.

However, in his first appearance at 118 pounds, Rodriguez faced a solid opponent in Vargas, who may have had more success than most expected.

“Bam” then finally pinned the Olympian with a keen left hand, sent him to the canvas and ultimately won the WBA bantamweight title.

As a result, fans are now clamoring for a clash between Rodriguez and Inoue following a balanced points victory over Junto Nakatani.

By defeating his Japanese rival, “The Monster” successfully defended his undisputed super bantamweight crown for the seventh time and arguably cemented his position as the No. 1 pound-for-pound star of the sport.

Hall of Fame coach Atlas also said the 33-year-old has a wealth of experience his YouTube channel that he thinks Inoue may be too experienced for ‘Bama.

“[Rodriguez is] still 26 [years old]and he will go there with someone who could become one of the best of all time.

– Bam can finally stay [an all-time great] too, but Bam is still there for a while [behind Inoue] in his career.

“Spice – that might be the difference. I know Bam would be different – he’d be more insecure against a guy like Inoue – but [he] he can’t afford to be labeled like that [against Vargas]”

On the other hand, it could be said that at 33 years ancient, Inoue is more vulnerable than ever, especially if he ends up facing an elite champion like “Bam.”