Moses Itauma shoved Filip Hrgovic off the stage — then got slapped for it
Moses Itauma pushed Filip Hrgovic off the weigh-in stage. Hrgovic climbed back up and slapped him in the face.
That was the scene at London's O2 Arena on August 28, the day before the two heavyweights fight for the vacant IBF world heavyweight title — one of boxing's four major belts, and the prize that makes whoever wins a recognised world champion.
The trouble began when Hrgovic turned to pose for photographs. Itauma, 21, shoved him in the back, sending the 34-year-old Croatian off the stage entirely. Hrgovic scrambled back up, reached through the security personnel between them, and struck Itauma with an open hand. Members of both teams piled in before security restored order. BBC Sport
"He pushed me first so I just gave it back," Hrgovic said afterwards. "He started it." BBC Sport
Itauma, from Chatham in Kent, did not back down in the rhetoric either. After the scuffle he vowed to "blow up" Hrgovic when they meet for real on Saturday night, August 29. The Sun
The bad blood has been building all week. The Guardian reported on August 25 that Hrgovic had taunted Itauma in the build-up, with the young Briton firing back. The Guardian
On the scales, Itauma held a slight edge. He weighed in 5.5 lbs heavier than Hrgovic, carrying extra size into a fight where the physical gap between a 21-year-old on the rise and a 34-year-old veteran is already part of the narrative. TalkSPORT
The stakes are genuinely historical. Itauma, with a professional record of 14 wins, no losses, and 12 knockouts, is bidding to become the second-youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history. ESPN Only Mike Tyson, who was 20 when he won his first world title in 1986, got there faster.
The belt became available when Oleksandr Usyk — the Ukrainian who unified all four major heavyweight titles — made a decision regarding the IBF strap, leaving it vacant. Sky Sports The fight, originally scheduled as a non-title bout, was upgraded to a world title clash on August 4. Reuters
Queensberry Promotions, led by Frank Warren, is staging the card under the banner "Natural Born Thriller" — a name that has aged rather well given the weigh-in footage. Queensberry Promotions
For fans, this is the kind of pre-fight chaos that sells a story but settles nothing. The stage shove and the slap will be replayed all night. What matters is what happens when the bell rings on Saturday — a 21-year-old trying to crash the history books against a 34-year-old who has been waiting years for a shot at the top. The tension is real. The answer comes tomorrow.
