Boxing

Moses Itauma interrupts the interview twice after being asked about fear

Published

4 months ago

June 23, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

Image: Moses Itauma Stops Interview Twice After Being Asked About Fear

– Is that what I’m afraid of? Itauma said to talkSPORT Boxing.

After repeating the question, the 21-year-old paused again.

“Did you say fear?”

Itauma finally responded, saying that he viewed boxing as a puzzle and believed that proper preparation could solve any challenge facing him. But what was most striking was what happened next.

The conversation had already flowed, but Itauma returned to the topic once again.

“No, I’m just shocked that you said that,– Itauma told the hosts.

For a player who is usually measured and composed in interviews, this exchange was noteworthy. Itauma had no problem discussing Hrgovic’s strengths, praising the Croatian as one of the best heavyweights available and describing the achievements on his resume. However, the suggestion that he might be afraid of his opponent seemed to strike a different chord.

Whether it was surprise, pride, or straightforward disbelief, Itauma didn’t want to let that word pass without referring to it a few times.

For an undefeated heavyweight who prides himself on being the epitome of supreme self-confidence, just hearing the word “fear” associated with his name was a huge shock to his system. If it didn’t bother him, he would have just laughed, replied quickly, “I’m not afraid of any man,” and let the interview continue.

Instead, look at how he reacted:

He completely froze and told the host to repeat the question twice to make sure he heard correctly.
He gave his standard PR-friendly answer that boxing was a conundrum that seemed like a defense mechanism to regain control of his thoughts.
The biggest advantage is that he came back to this topic after the topic had already changed.

This last part is the smoking gun. This means that the question was actively floating around in his head while they were talking about something else. He couldn’t let go because his pride was hurt. He wanted to make it clear to the hosts and anyone listening that even suggesting he felt fear was absurd.

It shows that while he may see his opponents as puzzles to solve, he’s still a 21-year-old fighter with a lot of pride, and the media can certainly get under his skin if they hit the right nerve.

When the prospect of being undefeated becomes the next massive thing, they start living in a bubble where everyone tells them they are undefeated. Itauma is tearing through his opponents and the media is treating him as the savior of the heavyweight division. In his opinion, he is the biggest predator.

So when a reporter asks him if he’s afraid of anyone, he completely undermines that narrative. It forces him to look at himself through a normal, human lens, and his ego simply cannot process it. To him, the question itself was an insult because it suggested he was vulnerable.

Itauma couldn’t bear to have his image of supreme dominance disturbed. It is exactly the same inability to let go of noticeable smallness. He had to come back to it because his pride was damaged, proving that despite all the hype, he is still human and can definitely be shaken.

The timing is engaging considering the dynamics surrounding the fight. For much of his career, Hrgovic has rejected the notion that he is merely a stepping stone for boxing’s fastest-rising heavyweight prospect. Meanwhile, Itauma seems equally resistant to any suggestion that another heavyweight might take the place in his mind as a feared figure.

Their fight on August 29 at London’s O2 Arena will decide which of the fighters is legitimate. Hrgovic believes he will reveal the hype surrounding the youngster, while Itauma has made it clear he sees the Croatian as another obstacle to solve rather than someone to worry about.

Boxing

WBO Denies Denzel Bentleys Appeal; Must Face Yoenli Hernandez or Vacate Title

Published

4 hours ago

October 22, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

"WBO Denies Denzel Bentley’s Appeal; Must Face Yoenli Hernandez or Vacate Title"

Another day, another Zuffa signee losing his belt for shirking his responsibilities. WBO president Gustavo Olivieri announced that the sanctioning body has denied middleweight champion Denzel Bentley’s appeal for a voluntary defense, giving him 24 hours to commit to facing mandatory challenger Yoenli Hernandez.

Bentley (22-3-1, 18 KO) was the beneficiary of Janibek Alimkhanuly’s failed drug test and subsequent emigration to the super middleweight division, as the move elevated the interim belt he’d claimed against Endry Saavendra in April to the real deal. That came with conditions, namely a mandated showdown with Hernandez (11-0, 9 KO) that failed to produce a a contract.

As for who’ll fight Hernandez for it, Vito Mielnicki Jr sits behind him at no. 2, followed by an otherwise-occupied Tim TszyuMichael Zerafa (lmao), and Fiodor Czerkaszyn. We’ll let you know as soon as an enterprising bachelor steps up.

Boxing

WBO Denies Denzel Bentleys Appeal; Orders Showdown with Yoenli Hernandez or Vacate Title

Published

4 hours ago

October 22, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

"WBO Denies Denzel Bentley's Appeal; Orders Showdown with Yoenli Hernandez or Vacate Title"

Boxing

Bob Arum Comments on Zuffa Boxings Position as Saudis Scale Back Involvement

Published

5 hours ago

October 22, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

Bob Arum Comments on Zuffa Boxing's Position as Saudis Scale Back Involvement

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is back on the scene with a new knee! And now that he’s getting around again, he was able to catch up with Fight Hub TV to give his perspective on what’s been going on in the boxing business as of late, particularly as it pertains to Zuffa Boxing who appear to be in a state of flux. Check out what he had to say below!

Arum on Zuffa’s place in boxing landscape

“When you look at Zuffa, they are hoping to do what they’re doing with Saudi money and the Saudis have poured a lot of money into the sport and for a while were backing Zuffa, so Zuffa felt emboldened to offer big [money] to good fighters like Shakur Stevenson. Now, apparently the Saudis, Turki and Sela have gotten the word from up high in Saudi Arabia, ‘hey, this money is not going to be unlimited, you’ve got to cut down,’ or there’s no money — I don’t know what they’ve told them.

“So the Saudis are clearly pulling back and who knows if they’re going to be involved in boxing after this year. They’ve already, apparently, sold Ring Magazine to DAZN. So, if the Saudi money isn’t there, Zuffa is not going to spend its own money to promote fights because they have announced to their shareholders that they would not do that. And if they start doing it, then they leave themselves open to a major shareholder suit.

“So, again, we have to see what’s going to happen. There’s no animosity, people are doing what they feel is best for them and that’s business. How this all turns out, we’re going to have to see next year and the years after that.”

On whether he thinks Zuffa has done a good job thus far

“What does it mean to have done a good job? If somebody gave me a barrel of money to put on fights, would I be doing a good job? Sure. But anybody would be doing a good job. I mean, give Oscar this kind of money, give Eddie this kind of money.

“So it’s not a question of a good job, the question is can they make matches having a limited budget that is limited by the financial viability of the fight, not what somebody from the outside is pouring into it. That’s doing a big, good job — making it work for them, for the public, for the fighters without the fighters outside help putting in all this money without any way to get it back.”

On Shakur splitting with Zuffa before one fight together

“Once they realized there was no money coming from the Saudis to fund a $15M fight deal, then what do you do? If you can get out of that contract, you get out of it. Did they get out, did it cost them any money to get out? I don’t know. But, again, to pay Shakur $15M…financially it’s not viable. So, it is what it is. And once the Saudis really left the message that they got the word from The Boss that this unlimited tap is going to stop, it was bound to happen.”

On the Shakur vs Devin fight falling apart

“The fight fell apart, but essentially it fell apart is because DAZN had promised [Devin] Haney a certain amount of money, Zuffa had promised Shakur a certain amount of money, and it wasn’t a match because that money didn’t exist in the fight that they would have…Would the fight have justified the money being put up? Because otherwise nobody wants to break their ass doing a fight, promoting a fight, and ending up facing an absolute possibility that you’re going to lose money.”

On his prediction for the business once the Saudi money evaporates

“Looking at the past when this happened, and in boxing it happens all the time, the market then settles and fighters fight for what’s available and we get some very good fights that still go on and life continues. But how it’s going to come out after this, where we had so much money being put into the sport not existing, how is the sport going to continue? It’s going to continue, but how is it going to continue, I don’t know.

“Remember, [Al] Haymon came in when he had that deal with the mutual fund with hundreds of millions of dollars, and all he accomplished was pissing it away. So, again, I have the experience and I’ve been around enough not to say definitively what’s going to happen because I don’t know like nobody else does. I have an idea but again, it’s just an idea and not worth talking about. All I know is that the sport will continue, there will be great fights being made. How everybody will be compensated remains to be seen but that’s in the future.“

On Ryan Garcia saying he’s going to fight Floyd Mayweather for the WBC title

“Will people be interested in it? I don’t know. I know Floyd [Mayweather] needs the money ‘cause he’s pissed away tons of the money that he made. I mean, he blames Haymon for that, he blames this for that, but ultimately I blame him for pissing it away. Will Garcia vs Mayweather generate money? Will it generate enough money to satisfy these guys? I don’t know. I think there will be limited interest in a fight where you have a young guy at the peak of his boxing prowess fighting an old man, which Mayweather has now become.”

On the Eddie Hearn vs Dana White beef over promoting Fury vs AJ, and Hearn insisting White can’t be involved

“Well, that’s right. Eddie [Hearn] is correct. Frank [Warren] and I have a contract with [Tyson] FuryEddie has a contract with [Anthony] Joshua. Dana has a contract with nobody. But if Dana wanted to be involved with the fight, be my guest. I mean, the money is the money. The Saudis are putting up the bulk of the money in that fight. They’ll do a good gate, get back some of it. But again, what do I care? What should anybody care?”