Moses Itauma vs Filip Hrgović has been mentioned as a possible, the leading contender fight for Itauma next.
Itauma was going to have to step up into a real, danger fight at some time, and be careful what you wish for, this is it.
Itauma is touted as the future of the heavyweight division but the division is weak now and he can easily fight for a world title right now.
But many are saying it will be big hitting Croatian Filip Hrgović next for him.
It isn’t agreed yet but here’s how they match up:
Moses Itauma
- Stance: Southpaw
- Height: 6’6″ / 1.98m
- Speed: Fast hands and feet for a heavyweight
- Ring IQ: Reads opponents well and controls distance
- Weapons: Sharp jab, left uppercut, left cross
- Approach: Patient, picks shots, uses angles
- Experience: Hasn’t gone past round 6 as a pro
Filip Hrgović
- Stance: Orthodox
- Height: 6’6″ / 198 cm
- Posture: Very upright, Eastern European style
- Punching: Prefers straight punches, big right hand
- Pressure: Naturally aggressive, comes forward
- Hand speed: Average
- Chin: Has been caught and dropped before
- Gas tank: Conditioning issues late in fights
Style Matchup
- Stance clash: Southpaw vs orthodox
- Speed edge: Itauma faster
- Range battle: Both want distance, but Itauma uses angles
- Power: Hrgović has big right hand. Itauma has 12 KOs in 14 wins
- Weakness: Hrgović’s chin can be hit. Itauma’s chin untested
Moses Itauma – Technical Breakdown
Offense
- Stance: Southpaw
- Jab: Uses both pawing range-finder and stiff power jab to set up left cross
- Feints: Half-feints with shoulder/eyes to freeze opponents, then steps in
- Combos: Jab → left cross to head → right hook. Jab → left cross to body → right hook upstairs
- Inside work: Left uppercut after slipping shots
- Power: KO power without loading up. Picks shots, doesn’t rush
- Footwork: Lateral shifts and angles to control tempo and range
Defense
- Head movement: Slips and rolls, then counters. Not a static high guard
- Range control: Lands and exits at angles instead of trading
- Composure: Stays calm under pressure, won’t brawl
Untested
- Rounds: Never past round 6 as a pro
- Chin: Itauma: “How’s Moses Itauma’s chin? Ain’t nobody trying to answer that one”
- Pressure: Hasn’t faced a relentless, bigger man who walks through shots
Filip Hrgović – Technical Breakdown
Offense
- Stance: Orthodox, very upright Eastern European posture
- Jab: Main weapon to control range and set up right hand
- Right hand: Straight down the pipe, big power
- Body attack: Left hook to body is secondary KO shot
- Style: Aggressive, marches forward behind jab. “Filip will just come at you”
Defense Issues
- Hand speed: Average
- Chin: “His chin is available and he’s been caught”. Dropped by Zhang
- Head position: Chin high when throwing, creates openings
- Vs feints: Tends to shell up or reset instead of countering
Conditioning
- Gas tank: Issues over distance. Tired visibly vs Dubois before stoppage
- Output: Starts fast, drops mid-fight if not landing early
Tactical Clashes – How Styles Interact
Southpaw vs Orthodox
- Itauma’s right foot outside Hrgović’s left foot. Angle for left cross vs straight right
- Hrgović’s jab can be smothered by Itauma’s lead hand parry
Speed Gap
- Itauma has unusual hand speed for heavyweight. Hrgović has average hand speed
- Open space favors Itauma. Phone-booth favors Hrgović’s straight shots
Range Battle
- Hrgović wins if: Keeps it long, doubles jab, lands straight right, makes Itauma reset
- Itauma wins if: Gets inside jab, changes angles, lands left uppercut/cross, pivots out
Durability
- Hrgović: Dropped and stopped before
- Itauma: Never hit flush by world-level heavyweight puncher
Late Rounds
- Hrgović: Has 12-round experience but conditioning concerns
- Itauma: Never seen round 7, but efficient energy use
Keys To Win
- For Hrgović: Cut ring, time jab as Itauma shifts, throw right when feet are square, rough him up inside
- For Itauma: Feint to draw jab, step left and counter over it, attack body to slow Hrgović, avoid straight-line trades
Who knows what fights they will be in next though.
Moses Itauma vs Daniel Dubois was also mentioned next up.
There is much moving parts in the heavyweight division now.
Dubois had a big win against Fabio Wardley recently.
Let’s see what happens for both of them shortly.