Itauma vs Hrgovic: Date, fight time, undercard, ring walks, prediction and odds

The rapidly-ascending British southpaw star faces the biggest test of his career so far at the O2 Arena as he competes for the IBF title vacated when former undisputed king Oleksandr Usyk relinquished all of his belts earlier this summer in preparation for one “last dance”.He would be the second-youngest ever title-holder in the sport’s glamour division and youngest since a then 20-year-old Tyson dethroned WBC champion Trevor Berbick in Las Vegas in November 1986 with a second-round knockout en route to undisputed superstardom.Cuba’s Frank Sanchez had been first in line for the IBF belt after knocking out Richard Torres Jr on the undercard of Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven in Egypt in May, but accepted a lucrative offer to step aside and is in line to face the winner of Itauma vs Hrgovic instead.Widely seen as the future of the heavyweight division and one of boxing’s best rising talents and most destructive knockout artists, Itauma has won all 14 of his bouts since turning professional in 2023 - 12 by knockout.Head to head: Moses Itauma battles Filip Hrgovic in London for the vacant IBF heavyweight titlePAThat contest was for the interim IBF title, with Dubois later upgraded to full champion status after Usyk relinquished the belt the first time around.‘El Animal’, an Olympic bronze medallist in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, has 15 knockouts from 20 victories so far, including against the overmatched Dave Allen in Doncaster in May.Read MoreItauma vs Hrgovic date and venueMoses Itauma vs Filip Hrgovic: Natural Born Thriller for the vacant IBF world heavyweight title takes place on Saturday August 29, 2026 at the O2 Arena in London.Itauma vs Hrgovic fight time and ring walksItauma and Hrgovic are expected to make their respective ring walks at around 10.30pm BST for Saturday night’s main event. That is 5:30pm ET and 2:30pm PT in the United States.The main fight card begins at 7pm BST, 2pm ET and 11am PT, with a number of earlier undercard bouts on the afternoon schedule.How to watch Itauma vs HrgovicTV channel and live stream: Itauma vs Hrgovic is available to watch live and exclusively in the UK via DAZN pay-per-view and DAZN Ultimate, at a cost of £24.99 - with an eight-day free trial of DAZN included.Those who have purchased the event can watch it live on the DAZN website and app.Weigh-in chaos: Hrgovic slapped Itauma on Friday having been initially pushed off stage by his rivalPAItauma vs Hrgovic undercardMoses Itauma vs Filip HrgovicSam Noakes vs Denys BerinchykNelson Hysa vs Thomas NarmoConstantin Ursu vs Ben VaughanGuido Vianello vs Moses JollyAloys Junior vs Sherif MusahTony Curtis vs Imad NaseebAbnor Jashari vs Numan HussainFrankie Wood vs Callum LeeZayn Ahmed vs Liam FitzmauriceHassan Ishaq vs Enzo Bahiano MunozItauma vs Hrgovic predictionA long-time feature in the top 10 of the heavyweight ranks, Hrgovic is unquestionably the best opponent on paper that the formidable Itauma has faced so far.The Croatian is a skilful and wily operator and certainly packs a punch of his own, though he can often flatter to deceive and perform frustratingly below both expectations and his talent level.A quick stoppage of Allen is unlikely to have done much to prepare Hrgovic for the huge dangers that lurk on Saturday night, while the nasty cuts that keep opening since that loss to Dubois will be an obvious concern again.The confident Itauma is a clear favourite who will not be fazed one iota by the pressure and the grand occasion as he seeks to become the youngest-ever British heavyweight champion.We think he will have far too much for Hrgovic here, making another brutal statement on the biggest night of his life.Itauma to win by knockout.Knockout king: Itauma will be confident of adding another stoppage to his record at the O2 ArenaGettyItauma vs Hrgovic weigh-in resultsSparks flew at Friday’s tense and dramatic ceremonial weigh-in held at Old Spitalfields Market, with Itauma initially shoving Hrgovic off the stage after an angry face-off and exchange of words, with his rival then quickly responding with a slap as tempers flared and the duo were separated by security.Itauma had earlier tipped the scales at 241.7lbs, while Hrgovic came in as the lighter man at 236.2lbs.Itauma vs Hrgovic latest oddsItauma to win on points/by decision: 9/2Itauma to win by knockout, technical knockout or disqualification: 3/10Hrgovic to win on points/by decision: 14/1Hrgovic to win by knockout, technical knockout or disqualification: 17/2