Moses Itauma finding juggling pros and cons of fame to be the biggest fight of his career after 21st birthday was ruined

MOSES ITAUMA has found juggling the pros and cons of fame to be the greatest fight of his career so far. The British prodigy debuted aged 18 in 2023 already being compared to a prime Mike Tyson before he had even thrown a professional punch. Moses Itauma found juggling the pros and cons of fame to be the greatest fight of his career so far Credit: Getty Itauma facing off with Filip Hrgovic ahead of their IBF world title fight Credit: GETTY Fast forward three years and Itauma can become the youngest heavyweight world champion since Tyson – who broke the record in 1986. Itauma challenges for the vacant IBF title on Saturday against Filip Hrgovic – where his profile can soar to even greater heights. Sign up for the Sport newsletter Thank you! Watch the latest SunSport video series But it will leave the 21-year-old prodigy weighing up whether another dinner on the house is worth the countless selfies he has to take. Itauma said: “There are pros and cons to everything. “I might go to a restaurant and the bill’s free and I like that touch because I wasn’t planning on spending that much anyway. “Or I might have bought a ticket somewhere on a standard, and because of who I am, they upgrade me. “But at the same time it comes with having to take more pictures. That’s why I don’t spend as much time in the UK as I should.” Itauma turned 21 in December but he waited six months to celebrate it away in Sweden. Most read in Sport BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS The Home of Boxing in 2026 There's a massive year of boxing ahead! It’s shaping up to be a blockbuster year of action inside the boxing ring. The Gypsy King has beaten Mariusz Wach in his second fight of the year to set up a huge fight with Anthony Joshua And AJ did the same, knocking out Kristian Prenga in the second round of a thrilling encounter – the Brit was knocked down twice in the opening round. Now fans are looking forward to Moses Itauma’s return for his toughest fight yet against Filip Hrgovic in August. Here’s all the big fights coming up… August Sat 29 – Moses Itauma vs Filip Hrgovic – DAZN September Sat 12 – Conor Benn vs Ryan Garcia – DAZN *If you click a link in this boxout, we will earn affiliate revenue. But the heavyweight sensation soon realised – even miles away from home – he has too much of a familiar face to fly under the radar. Itauma said: “I celebrated it in Sweden in the middle of May, so it was five months after my birthday. “We got out to Sweden and I was so pumped for it. “I was so pumped for Sweden, and I literally got outside my hotel, walked three minutes down the road, and I had to take five or 10 pictures, and it just zapped all my energy. “Some people were from Sweden and some were from abroad. Every security guard or bouncer knew who I was and I was just like, ‘I came here to let my hair down.’ “It was actually my brother’s birthday and it was one of my friend’s birthday. “It was their actual birthday in May, but obviously I was celebrating my birthday as well.” Moses Itauma vs Filip Hrgovic - all the info Moses Itauma and Filip Hrgovic face off for the IBF heavyweight world title With Anthony Joshua, 36, and Tyson Fury, 38, finally set to commence their Battle of Britain this year it brings a close to golden era. Itauma is tipped to carry the torch for the next generation – where superstardom seems almost a certainty. But he admitted: “I’m not really ready for that, but it’s part of the job.If I if I think about it too much, I might just want to retire! “I acknowledge that it might happen, but I don’t think about it. “I feel like I’m in a happy, comfortable place where I can go to certain places where people can’t recognise me, and I can still have my spots in the UK. “But I couldn’t imagine not having the luxury to go somewhere to rest and be anonymous.” Hrgovic – beaten just once in his 21 bouts to Daniel Dubois in 2024 – was the first opponent Itauma ever called out. And after the Croatian beat Dave Allen in May, Itauma got his wish. Itauma said: “I don’t know why I specifically pointed at him. It might have just been that’s what I was feeling at the time. ‘But the reason I said yes to this fight is that after every fight we have a debrief and we talk about potential opponents. “Sometimes working with people is too difficult or working in this country’s jurisdiction is too difficult. “But Hrgovic, for me, of all the names that were mentioned, was the best, and then they also said that contractually, he’s supposed to fight me. “So I was like, ‘Why are we not making this fight happen?’. After the win over Dave Allen, he made himself look a lot better as well, so I think it’s great. “The beautiful thing about boxing is, Filip Hrgovic has done so much in boxing, he’s achieved so much and I get to take that away from him.” Comment now